The Legend of Aiwa
by Lumpyness
Summary: A volcanic apocalypse has plunged the world into an ice age. A caretaker organisation maintains the largest population centre on the planet, trying to outlast the Winter and rebuild civilisation. Relics and echoes of the old world permeate the historical accounts provided to junior members of the organisation, but Aiwa suspects that she doesn't have the whole story...
1. Opening

The Legend of Aiwa

* * *

Air...

Water...

Earth...

Fire.

In the Silent Fortress, the survivors of the Four Nations live together in safety and harmony.

But the world has fallen out of balance.

The Winter is cold, and few live beyond the walls of the Silent Fortress, the last, great bastion of human survival.

Growing up under the watchful eyes of the Preservation, I was always told that the Avatar's role was to maintain balance and peace.

If that's true, then the previous Avatar failed in his duty to protect world.

Since the death of Avatar Korra, over sixty years ago, the conflicts that have plagued the world have only grown more destructive, and mankind's final battle, with nature itself, was one he lost.

I survived nature's harshest touch myself, a corruption of the flesh, thanks to the Preservation. They claim to do good, to be the sole force holding back the extinction of our species, but I can't help but feel like there's so much more to everything than what I've been taught.

I seek the truth, and with it, mastery of myself. I must put an end to the suffering of this world, and bring balance to all.


	2. Chapter One: Cold Comfort

Chapter One: Cold Comfort  
256 AG, High Summer  
Sanctuary Gardens, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

* * *

"Good morning, Xue."

"Good morning. Close the door behind you."

Aiwa stepped from the red and white corridor into Xue's office. Shutting the heavy door behind her, she caught a faint whiff of nature's crisp, alpine beauty. Looking to her left, the young Avatar's gaze extended and focussed over kilometres of wilderness. Through a glass sliding door that stood slightly ajar lay a large, open garden of green, brown, and grey. Lush grass covered the ground in all places and sloped up to tickle the feet of a trio of enormous stone statues. Overshadowed by thick pines, strong of trunk and brown of bark, these grey sentinels, symbolising water, earth, and fire, maintained a vigilance over a wide but low stone plinth. The small sundial that stood in the centre contrasted starkly with the dense forests that fell away beyond. At the other end of the valley the sea of trees rose up again, before breaking against rugged mountains. Their peaks were either lost in cloud or, if visible, tipped with the Winter's white. Flakes of snow blew in on a sudden gust, and Aiwa flinched at the icy bite. She was anxious about the impending conversation, as necessary as it was.

"Shut that one too," commanded Xue, and the Avatar did as she was told. "Did you see my mother? She always leaves the door open. The old creature likes the fresh air, but never considers me..." He thumped his mangled left arm, and for a moment his voice was as bitter as the mountain winds. "Have a seat."

Aiwa promptly dropped into the chair over the desk from Xue and assessed him surreptitiously. Xue was wiry and lined, his sole hand suffering from early arthritis and his face full of a scowling distrust. What really drew her eyes, however, was his injury. Xue's left arm was missing below the elbow, and a long scar ran up the side of his neck to fade beside a prosthetic eye. Tendrils of browned skin were visible on the stump and receding beneath his neckline. Aiwa felt little joy in seeing him, but her knowledge of his contributions to the Preservation survived his cold personality to form true respect. Besides, as he was her spiritual teacher, it was not the young Avatar's place to reject his authority or tuition.

"You're here," Xue began, his lone hand scribbling off a final note, "because it's necessary for you to realise who you are, and what you mean for the world. I'm here to help you. However, my first and foremost duty is not to strengthen your connection with the Spirits, but rather to teach you history. In time, you will come to master both, for they are entwined in the present like never before." Aiwa nodded, hiding her growing excitement, for her suspicions were now stronger than ever. "You saw my mother?" Xue shot suddenly, his prosthetic eye still proofing the note.

"Yes. I don't think she likes me."

"Jinora is just too idealistic, but we may both be right. After all..." The Preservationist rubbed his mangled arm. "She might just hold an irrational grudge." Xue produced a perfectly cold grimace, holding Aiwa's gaze in his own. It seemed like a challenge, and the Avatar rose to face it in an instant.

"She doesn't agree with the Preservation's actions, does she?"

"Like I said," he spoke slowly, breaking eye contact and thrusting the note to one side, "she's far too idealistic. She doesn't just hate the Preservation for its actions: many aspects of its philosophy are still anathema to her."

"So why would she –"

"That's enough now," cut in Xue, holding up a commanding hand. "And in any case, without the Preservation, you wouldn't be here to raise any objections."

Aiwa nodded.

"I never said I –"

Xue, however, had taken something personally, and Aiwa found herself on the receiving end of one of his infamous rants. The old man had an ability to accentuate certain sounds in conventional speech that doubled its emotional impact, and he could this use to great manipulative effect.

"We did what we had to. If the Preservation hadn't prioritised the way it did, then you would have died in the pyroclastic flows like so many thousands – in fact, none of us would be here today. You think the universe cares about favouritism? It doesn't! We're just a flash of light from a lone star, and might as well be lost in space and time. If humanity can't at least survive, then what good is being _noble_ about such issues?"

Xue placed his hand over his eyes and slumped further into his chair. After a moment, he gave Aiwa another grimace. Aiwa sat still and quiet. The Preservation's recommended etiquette for dealing with Senior members was confusing at the best of times, and with her own extra spiritual status, it was easiest to just stay silent.

"Senior Xue?" A young man had slipped a small note through the door, just barely ajar. Aiwa rose and took it from him, passing it on to Xue. A brief smile flitted across the man's face as he opened the letter.

"Go, Haru." The delivery boy vanished, the door clicking quietly shut behind him.

Xue looked up from the letter and stared straight at Aiwa. His gaze was unfathomable. Aiwa understood the need for patience.

"Well..." He spoke at length, crumpling the note and tossing it into a bin to one side. "Progress."

"Progress? On what?"

"The reactor. The upgrade to type two chifusion has been approved."

"Will they have to shut it down while the upgrade is taking place?"

"Technically, no – but it's better to be safe than sorry. We'll be without power for about an hour."

"That's all?"

"The technicians we chose are very good at what they do." Xue's stare intensified. "It's a good thing we prioritised."

Aiwa forced a slight change of topic.

"So when's the outage occurring?"

"Later this evening, probably around eight o'clock."

"Isn't that dangerous for the populace? So late at night?"

"Which is why we advise everyone to rug up. I'll need to prepare a short address for the masses, though. They need their feed!" Xue barked with laughter at his own cruel joke about the fortress populace, but Aiwa held her peace, raising her voice again only when his attempt at humour had died in silence.

"So you'll teach me the truth," she spoke calmly, preparing to cast the line, and Xue's grin faded once more, "and you'll help me master the Avatar State, among other things. Probably both at the same time. But shouldn't I learn to _bend_ first?"

"Loaded language is not appreciated, Aiwa. Yes, I've heard about your...suspicions. I do talk to the other initiates. But let me tell you this right now: you are the Avatar, make no mistake about that. And teaching you the truth about all things will convince you. Of this, I am certain." Xue cocked his head, anticipating an aggressive response, and Aiwa obliged once more.

"This is all just sounding like some perverted plan to keep the populace in line."

Xue calmly laced his fingers together.

"And what if it is?" This simple question surprised Aiwa, but it took her only a moment to recall her startled expression and replace it with one hardened with defiance.

"Then you'll have no willing support from me –"

"And the consequences would be on your head. We live – and you should consider yourself lucky to be chosen by the universe as a survivor – in the last bastion of human civilisation, and you would throw away the future of all those who live here just because you disagree with the ruling party's principles?" The condescension was almost unbearable, and it was to only become worse when tainted with sarcasm. "So what if we prioritise survival at the expense of individual freedoms? We're doing it for their own good – for everyone's good. You would do well to be a little less righteous and selfish. Think of the future generations that simply would not be if you had your way. Do you see why the Preservation treats dissent so harshly, especially amongst its own members?"

"There has to be another way –"

"There is, and it's called death." Aiwa had lost the argument – for now. She knew and understood too little to continue.

"In the end, you're just ignorant. Ignorant," the old man denigrated calmly, fingers still laced, "not because you don't know the truth, but because you think you do – and are all the more wrong because of it."

"Then, perhaps," spoke Aiwa quietly, "would you care to teach me the truth, that I might be less ignorant?"

Xue smiled.

"I will. But you need to be ready for it."

Aiwa had never been overly fond of the Preservation or its methods. As the Avatar, she was automatically a member, and had thus received some training in Preservation philosophy, etiquette, and higher education. But while the other recruits were all eager to become fully fledged components of civilisation's saving grace, Aiwa had never quite felt the attraction. She did, however, have to live it. That was her duty. She owed her life to the Preservation, both for her parents' rescue during the Winter's onset and for the expunging of her tumour. Now in remission, and with the scalpel scars on her bald head paining her less and less every day, she had resumed the training process at the age of eighteen. Her father had been a Fire Nation diplomat and had seen verbal conflict in both the Diametric and Prelude Wars, and the scramble for resources that followed their catastrophic conclusion. Her mother was a healer, a meek waterbender, and had never quite approved of her husband's passion for sparring with words, but had supported his career nonetheless. Oddly enough, their only surviving child had seemingly not inherited the bending skills of either of them, and this lead Aiwa to confusion and mistrust, for not only should the Avatar have mastery over all four elements, but the Preservation was a self-described force for good. The only way this could be compatible with the facts that Aiwa had access to would be if the Preservation had falsely proclaimed her to be the Avatar in order to instil both hope and fear into the collective mind of the populace.

Aiwa's thoughts slipped momentarily to her parents. Recently, a rift had opened up between them. How could they have withheld such a tragedy from her for so long? Aiwa had once had a sister, she had recently found out, who had died when Aiwa was only little, around the time of the Great Winter's initial onslaught. Aiwa's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing at the angry thoughts corroding the happy memories of her parents...

Xue stood up, shifted the clothes around his mangled arm, and sat down again. The fire from their exchange was still fresh, and now the old airbender clearly sought to extinguish it.

"The thing is, Aiwa, I haven't lied to you. None of us have. I take it you know Junto's official biography?"

"I do."

"Then let's start there. What do you know about him?"

"What was I taught, you mean?"

"What you know," Xue repeated emphatically, lacing his hands and closing his eyes once more. "Don't play games." The amputee's temper could flip erratically, but at least he recognised when it was necessary to remain calm to perform his duties.

Now, as if an electronic recording had been activated, Aiwa began to regurgitate everything she knew about the Avatar before her.

"Avatar Junto was born in one-hundred and ninety-two, after Avatar Korra died young at thirty-nine. He was taken in by the White Lotus at the age of eight, after they finally found him in the eastern Earth Continent. He was trained by the White Lotus for several years, before running away. He's said to have mastered all elements at only fourteen years of age, and to have been unusually powerful, even for an Avatar."

"And why do you think he did that?" Xue interrupted, more musing to himself than addressing Aiwa.

"What?"

"Why do you think he ran away?"

"Well…the Diametric War began in two-hundred and one. He was known to have a strange fascination for conflict, so perhaps he left to become more involved, once he'd learned all he could from the White Lotus?"

"Which, shortly after his departure, was destroyed from within by traitors. Don't you think that's more likely to have played a role?"

Aiwa had never engaged in a critical discussion of Junto's history before, and was somewhat taken aback by her mentor's questions. But her mind had been honed over many years to simply recite these facts upon request, so she simply charged ahead.

"I don't know. But he vanished for seven years, before cropping up again in the public debate around the war in the Earth Continent and resurgent White Lotus, newly corrupted and self-serving. His views were dismissed as closed-minded."

"You've probably noticed by now," Xue cut in once more, "but one thing the Preservation is very careful in addressing is the link between us – the ruling party – and the populace we seek to preserve. It's a very delicate relationship, and the key to maintaining peace seems to be emphasising the voluntary nature of living within our habitation zone. In short, we tell people they can come here to survive as long as they abide by our rules. Anyone who wants to criticise our ways is free to do so, within obvious limits, but public opinion, being generally _wrong_ –" Xue placed stronger emphasis on this word than any other he had uttered "– is not actually given any measure of power. Now, please, continue."

Aiwa frowned, mentally stumbling, before managing to pick up where she'd left off.

"Right…so Junto refused to let up. When public opinion turned against him and the high-tech Jishu, the eastern Diametric faction, he sided with them. That was in two-hundred and twenty-five, I think. The combination of newfound technological superiority and the support of the Avatar turned the tides of the Diametric War, and the Jishu steadied their losses and brought the Wushi advances to a halt. Also, there was that eastern Wushi fortress that just…exploded."

Xue looked impressed.

"You've really been practicing, haven't you?"

Aiwa ignored him.

"Diplomatic forces brought the war to an effective halt for eight years, and Junto returned to the shadows. There were reports of violent attacks on criminal gangs looting and terrorising war-torn regions, and some massacres – Junto was supposedly responsible." Aiwa's mind slowed to a crawl, as it always did at this point. "The people hated him. The whole world hated him…"

"It's true," Xue put in impassively.

"But he stated so many times what his intentions were! All those public audio tapes…" There was something in it all that Aiwa had yet to grasp.

Xue shrugged. "Continue."

Aiwa sighed.

"Well, the fighting flared up again in two-hundred and thirty-five. The Jishu pushed the Wushi back all the way across Gaipan with Junto's help. Pohuai Fotress, which the Wushi had declared 'unconquerable', was destroyed in an explosion similar to the eastern fortress event. Wushi capitulate in the face of the Avatar's power. He effectively ended the war by himself. 'Frightening and previously unseen bending abilities,' they said…"

Xue was about to speak again, but Aiwa dropped out of her recital to cut in.

"Can I just ask, exactly what kind of 'frightening and previously unseen bending abilities' was Junto showing? I know he's usually contrasted with other past Avatars as being particularly powerful, but the limits of all four elements have been discovered, right? I mean, for example, what potential could earth hold beyond lavabending?"

"I can't tell you this, Aiwa, not yet. It's something you'll discover further down the track. But I can whet your appetite for the facts with this morsel: your knowledge and imagination are nothing compared with the awesome power of reality." Xue smiled cryptically, and Aiwa leaned back in her chair, confused, before continuing her history recital.

"In the post-war chaos, Junto hunted down the remnants of the corrupt White Lotus on the largest of the Knotted Isles…but they tricked him. Just like Pohuai and that eastern fortress, there was an unexpected explosion. The Knotted Toe was destroyed, and so was the rest of the White Lotus, along with Junto himself – and the Eastern Spirit Portal was created. The final explosion was powerful enough to punch deep in the earth's mantle. Within a year, volcanoes were erupting everywhere, and civilisation began to fall…"

Xue held up a hand to silence her, and Aiwa obediently ceased her recital.

"The global harvest failed, the Resource Wars began, and the Great Winter set in – you needn't go any further."

But Aiwa was compelled to make a final addition.

"And you rescued me from the Fire Nation, eighteen years ago, before the worst of the eruptions decimated it."

"Once we'd established a base of power, the Silent Fortress, the triage of civilisation began," Xue said, nodding. "We took in as many survivors as we could, and were forced to leave many out in the cold, to survive on their own. But the Avatar was a priority. There's nothing left of the old Fire Nation now. It was annihilated. And the Preservation's history from two-hundred and forty to this day is clear."

The old airbender leaned back in his chair and surveyed Aiwa, who was beginning to arise the strange, almost lethargic state of mind that came about when regurgitating history.

"So what now?" she asked quietly.

Xue cleared his face of all emotion, closing his eyes for a few seconds, his arms crossed defensively.

"What you've just recited to me is the official story. And if there's one thing you're right about, it's that not all of it is _factual_ , depending of course on whom you ask. Or rather, that certain elements of it are –"

"– Severely lacking," cut in Aiwa, grinding her teeth. "I knew it. I bloody knew it –"

"– Lacking, yes, but with good reason. Junto's actions damaged the Avatar's reputation so badly that it's going to take quite an effort to redeem you in the eyes of the populace. There are..."

Xue paused, shifted the clothes around his mangled arm once more, and gazed for a few seconds out over the ancient garden and up at the icy peaks before opening his mouth slowly.

"Junto did some terrible things. And we couldn't hide that. But the official biography hides the very worst. Some of the things..."

Xue lowered his head, clutching at his mangled arm. Aiwa took a deep breath, the realisation of what she represented to the populace sweeping over her properly for the first time in a profound moment of both responsibility and fear.

"The populace would tear me to shreds because of what he did."

"It's true. But we, you and I and all the Preservation, we need to change that. The Preservation believes that the world needs its Avatar back. But the truth of Junto is bound tightly to the identity of the Avatar, and unravelling the two will take time. If I tell you everything I know right at the start, do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

Aiwa pursed her lips, but lowered her gaze. She was no longer certain.

"Believe in the Preservation, Aiwa," spoke Xue, standing up to indicate the end of their meeting, "and you will realise your destiny. You are the Avatar."


	3. Chapter Two: Survival Mechanism

Chapter Two: Survival Mechanism  
256 AG, High Summer  
Central Compound, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

* * *

 _Fire is the element of power; the people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want._

 _Earth is the element of substance; the people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring._

 _Air is the element of freedom; the Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns, and found peace and freedom._

 _Water is the element of change; the people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything._

 _It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If taken from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help one become whole._

There was a knock on the door.

"I'm in here," Aiwa called out, tearing her eyes away from the text.

The misshapen door creaked, scraped a small way open, and shuddered to a halt. Aiwa chuckled as a tall, thin woman pushed her way through the gap between the frame and wall, and glided over to where the Avatar sat on the floor.

"Aiwa, there's an ICE result going public. Do you want to come and watch?"

"Pema, you know I don't like that kind of thing. And I'm surprised you can stomach it at all, actually."

"Well, it's educational and necessary – and the desensitising element is important. It makes it easier to just be able to act in the future, so you don't suffer from indecision at crucial moments."

"Well look at you," said Aiwa with a strange mixture of pride and scepticism. Placing _Tea and History_ on an old chair to one side, she rose from the rough, wooden floor and turned to face Pema. "You've really warmed to the Preservation mentality, haven't you?"

"I know it's not exactly compatible with Air Nation Traditions, either the old or the new..." The airbender's voice was momentarily tainted with guilt. "...But we're told to think these things through, and to question it, over and over again. My conclusion is that Air Nomad philosophy is no longer appropriate for the reality we find ourselves in."

The smug look on Pema's face was telling, and Aiwa was certain her friend wasn't even aware of it.

"You'll make a good Senior someday soon," she said with a chuckle, and Pema joined her in laughing.

"I see what you did there – but I'm not that old." Pema gave the Avatar a cryptic smile. She, like the rest of them, saw the wavering of Aiwa's support for the Preservation. But Pema would never turn against her best friend.

"I'm not getting any younger in here, so shall we?" The airbender held out her arm, and Aiwa sighed, grinning.

"Perhaps I'm a bit too easy," she said in mock-grudging tones, looping her arm around her friend's. As the two of them trotted off towards the door, Aiwa surveyed the dim, dusty room once more.

This dusty room housing paper copies of any old literature that had been saved was one of Aiwa's favourite places in the whole Silent Fortress. It smelled like history, and each time she opened a different book, the young Avatar was flung out into what seemed like another universe. The sad truth was that this was what the past now felt like – another universe, separate and inconsequential. She had never discussed it with the older generation. Perhaps this was a worthy pursuit to satisfy her curiosity during spiritual training. She had to careful, though. Poking around in the shady past experiences of fallible human beings, even Preservation members, could raise awkward questions.

As the two of them strode out of the old wooden hut, a commotion caught their attention. Over by the Spirit Tree in the centre of the compound, two little Air Initiates were arguing loudly, surrounded by a small crowd. One was holding a staff and appeared to be keeping it beyond the reach of a little girl, who was a year or two younger. Neither of them were older than six or seven, and the boy had a mangled right ear. Aiwa recognised him instantly.

"Isn't that –?"

"Yes, it is." Pema's thin face had lost its airy charm and become stern. "Sangye!"

The commotion ceased immediately, as Sangye's cheeky grin vanished and was replaced by surprise and fear. The little girl took advantage of Sangye's distraction to snatch away what was obviously a glider.

"Jinpa! Stay where you are!" Detaching herself from Aiwa's arm, Pema's already tall stature appeared to grow even taller. In spite of her wispy form, the twenty-year-old mother commanded a level of authority with the youngsters that was both cruel and kind.

"Jinpa, the staff, please." The little airbender slowly passed her the staff, her eyes averted and beginning to swell with tears. "Thank you. Stay here a moment, please." Pema graced her ward with a cheering smile, before turning the full force of her motherly fury upon her son.

"Sangye, we've talked about this before. We share things with our friends, don't we?"

"Mother..." The boy's features still held an element of defiance. "It's my turn. I share when it's not my turn!"

"And can anyone tell me how long Sangye's turn was?" The question was not meant for the children, and Pema answered it herself. "Much longer than anyone else's, I'm sure." There were a few feeble nods from the other Air Initiates.

"Sangye, let go your earthly tether. Enter the light, peaceful, and be free." The words had a strong calming effect on everyone present. Even Aiwa, who felt some aversion to the conditioning process, both recognised and felt its power in calming tempers and soothing emotions.

"Now, let's see about this glider..." Pema spoke, her features light and graceful once more. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but there was some quality to her that Aiwa saw in few others.

"Won't we be late for the ICE results?" Aiwa spoke quietly, after Pema had finished sorting out the children. Sangye was now busy impressing the younger Initiates with his attempts to form a stable ball of air upon which to ride, while Jinpa was soaring high above, her laughter echoing around the children's quadrangle.

"No. I made sure to come and find you with plenty of time to spare."

The buildings surrounding the grassy courtyard were of concrete and wood, solid, and none were more than two stories high. The day was relatively warm, so the heat pumps were off and the thermodome was retracted, leaving the Central Compound open to the elements. Aiwa gazed up into the sky in all directions, clenching her teeth in anticipation of the inevitable nausea. The south and the west were downhill, so the Avatar saw only the sky there, gloomy and grey. But travel only a few kilometers, and the sparse pine forest would give way to the massive fortress Habitation Zone. This was where the populace was housed, the common folk who would be needed to reclaim and repopulate vast tracts of the Earth when the time was right, and to keep the gene pool viable until that time came. To the north and east, the hillside rose up into crags and scree slopes, but not before splitting off into the twin peaks that flanked the Central Compound. Innumerable towers and crenellations wound their way up the mountainside, guarding the heart of the Preservation and the source of its energy that lay beneath.

Aiwa stumbled, giddiness overwhelming her, but was caught by Pema.

"It's still as bad?"

"Yeah, it is. The doctors don't really know what to do about it. But, aside from the vertigo, or whatever it is, I'm recovering fine." Pema smiled, helping her best friend to stand steady before they set off again.

"I'm so glad. I mean, not for the nausea, but that you're getting better."

Aiwa returned her smile, before lowering her voice for a comedic reply.

"The road ahead is challenging. Years of intercellular war have left my brain scarred and...well, thankfully not divided. But with the Avatar's help, I can get it back on the right track, and begin a new era of thinking and feeling right."

Pema burst out laughing.

"Did you practice that one? It's great! I never thought I'd hear Zuko's most famous speech recycled so well."

"Nah, I just improvised." The two of them shared a grin, but then Pema's mouth opened suddenly, and she stopped walking, turning to face Aiwa.

"Hey, has it occurred to you that the tumour was what was stopping you from bending?"

"It has, but..." Aiwa detached herself from Pema's embrace, took a firebenders stance, and thrust forward, but to no avail: neither flames, nor even the feeling of heat were present. "I've tried many times. It's a mental block of some kind, the doctors said. The tumour might have been what caused it in the first place..." She struck out again, with no success. "Apparently I have some story attached to what it means to bend fire, or something like that –"

"They're right, you know." Aiwa looked around for the source of the interruption, and was unsurprised to see Zhain striding towards them. The firebender's lip was raised in a smirk, and the Avatar was immediately engulfed by the urge to knock the smile off his ugly face. Zhain was a firebending prodigy, and it had gone all the way to the deepest, darkest parts of his head. The preservation needed his skills: the young man was an exceptional teacher, but his personality left much to be desired. Egotistical and blunt, Zhain always left you feeling like you could do better – and this was both a positive and a negative.

"Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire!" Zhain finished with perfect stance and a blast that stopped a metre short of Aiwa's face.

Aiwa and Pema shared a grin, and crossed their arms in unison.

"And you know all about that inner fire, don't you?" Pema spoke slyly twirling her hair. "Bet you'd like to...let some out." The smile disappeared from Zhain's face.

"Pema, less seduction, more serving the Preservation. Now, excuse me, I'm going to see the ICE result." Zhain barged past the two women, who were now standing in the doorway at the compound entrance, but Aiwa saw the look of lust twist his ugly features even further. "You should too!" the firebending master called back to them.

"He wants you," Aiwa said to Pema as soon as he was out of earshot. "He really wants you."

"Yes, and he's not getting me," spoke the airbender resolutely. "But he's right about one thing: let's get going."

* * *

ICE: Intentions and Competency Examination, a system of justice that perfectly reflected Preservation ethics. This particular ICE report and conclusion was a members-only event. Some were publicised, both performed in the Habitation Zone and broadcast on telemover channels, but only when it served a purpose. Prisoner Five had always been a shadowy figure. Only the Preservation members knew of her existence, and even then, only if they'd specifically requested access to the prison system and had it granted. The prisoner number for execution had never gone this low before. Prisoner Four was an old Wushi diplomat, and the reasons for his continued existence were unknown, while Prisoners Three to One were only known to Seniors.

Some numbers were kept alive, and for a variety of reasons: a few were Preservation members with good intentions but too little competency to continue serious work and too much information to be cut loose. These men and women accepted their lot, and lived on in relative comfort as little more than biological computers that would occasionally churn out an idea of interest or importance; a few were the complete opposite – efficient people who had, for whatever unfortunate brain-state occurrence, turned away from Preservation Ideals. These men and women were kept alive for almost the same reasons as their loyal opposites, but under much stricter guard, with mental triggers active at all times, and even energy-intensive anti-chi fields for the more dangerous. Still others were memories from the old world: war criminals, politicians, prominent spiritual figures... When the prisons were first filled, the living numbers had run well into the hundreds. However, when the Preservation had no more use for someone, they were killed. Humanely, always humanely, but sometimes privately and sometimes publicly, depending on the utility of destroying the reputation and the life in question.

Prisoner Five sat in the chair, bound tightly in most places to prevent disruptive struggling and gagged firmly. Her eyes, however, were wide open, staring off into space. Sitting on a middle bench in the amphitheatre, Aiwa peered at the execution victim, trying to determine her identity. The old woman had long, grey hair, a wrinkled face with a pointed chin, and bright, green eyes. It was silly, really. Aiwa had only names from the old world, and had no hope of connecting one of them to a face, much less the face of a lady who looked to be over one hundred years old.

After a short speech by a Preservation Senior, during which vaguely familiar phrases like 'rational self-interest', 'venture capitalism', and 'free market economy' were used, the bolt was fired. Prisoner Five's death was very quick, and totally bloodless. Her spinal cord was severed right at the base of the skull by a pneumatic hammer built into the chair. Aiwa felt only a little sadness that another life had been ended through the application of unopposed force. She was not alone in this feeling: there were looks of sadness all around the congregation. But the Preservation wasn't so harsh as to try to constrict such natural feelings. In fact, they were encouraged – but so was open discussion of them. Seniors had to know if you'd been compromised by a wayward conscience.

* * *

"Was that really so special?" Aiwa whispered.

"I'm not sure 'special' is the right word", Pema replied, growing agitated. "It wasn't compelling, if that's what you mean, but they're not meant to be –"

"Ladies, please." Aiwa and Pema ceased their hushed conversation immediately and turned to look to the front of the classroom. The entire class was looking their way, and Varli was frowning deeply, a stack of sheets held in his hands. The teacher began to pass the test papers out to the columns of desks, while beginning what was a well-rehearsed disciplinary lecture. "What makes you think your personal conversation is so important that you can disturb the rest of the class with it? Either it's very important, in which case you're obliged to share it with us, or it's not, in which case the interruption is unacceptable. These walls don't absorb whispers anywhere near as well as you think. Now what's the resolution?"

Aiwa opened her mouth to apologise, but Pema was the first to speak.

"Aiwa doesn't appreciate public ICE results." The Avatar buried her face in her hands. She loved Pema, but sometimes the airbender would do things that would really test the strength of that bond. She looked up to see Varli standing over her. His frown had lessened, but had been replaced with his signature piercing scan.

"That's not important enough to interrupt the class with –"

"Sorry," grunted Aiwa, glaring at Pema out of the corner of her eye.

"Apology accepted – and implicit within that apology is the promise not to do it again, understood?"

Aiwa and Pema nodded in unison.

"And Aiwa, see me after class."

Varli was a strange man, but a perfect example of what Preservation training could do for a properly prepared mind. He had no ambitions to rise up the ranks, but that was just it. His status as a Senior had been attained purely through a genuine loyalty to the sum total of Preservation values and his repeated actions confirming that loyalty. An emotionally neutral man, he wasn't the best teacher. Teaching, however, was not his primary purpose. He was a counsellor, a sort of investigative psychologist who made it his business to know the private mental experiences of Preservation members, and whether they had any compromising meanings attached. He knew all the right questions to ask. And, when coupled with a truth seer, not even the best trained liars could withstand him. Right now, however, he was simply administering a factual review test to the oldest students.

Aiwa began to read the paper, forcing any concerns regarding Varli's suspicions out of her mind. She was loyal to the preservation, and even if the old man referred her for an ICE, she would easily pass. And anyway, she was the Avatar. She was safe from just about any of the things they did to other compromised members...right?

 _Question One: How many autonomous states did the Earth Continent (at the time the Earth Empire) split into after Prince Wu's resignation?_

 _"That's a trick question, but still easy: fifty-eight. Four became protectorates, and three formed the Shilun Technocratic Alliance, leaving fifty two_ truly _autonomous states."_

 _Question Two: What_ is _the formal political status of the Fire Nation?_

 _"What_ is _the formal political status of the Fire Nation? It no longer exists! How can it have a status? Oh well... An absolute monarchy was what it was, so that will have to do."_

 _Question Three: Which territories outside of the South Pole Landmass did the Southern Water Nation conquer in 186 AG? For two bonus marks, which island were they repulsed from, and who repulsed them?_

 _"OK, the Patola islands, except the Southern Air Temple's island, and Whale Tail Island, and they were pushed back from Kyoshi Island by a Fire-Earth alliance claiming to uphold the Four Nations Pact of 181 AG, but the alliance's hidden intention was to preserve trade routes. That's more information than they want, but...it can't hurt."_

* * *

Twenty minutes and dozens of questions later, and Aiwa was almost done.

 _Question Thirty-Eight: Who was responsible for the massacre of Air Nation citizens at the Western Air Temple in 190 AG?_

 _"Corrupt elements of the White Lotus."_

Something struck Aiwa as odd. From what she had learned about it, the White Lotus' methods of member selection were not all that dissimilar from those the Preservation used. In fact, the latter were simply a modified version of the former, and had been sourced from it. So how could the White Lotus build up a corrupted element strong enough to achieve such a feat? And why would they do that? What did they intend to –?

 _"Deal with that later, Aiwa. Finish the test first."_

 _Question Thirty-Nine: How did Avatar Korra respond to the corrupted elements of the White Lotus?_

 _"She hunted them down for incarceration in the Earth Continent and the Fire Nation."_

 _Question Forty: Which four factions never formally entered the Diametric War?_

 _"The Air Nations, The City-State of Omashu, the Fire Nation, and the Northern Water Nation."_

 _Question Forty-One: What were the opposing factions that began the Diametric War? For two bonus marks, what were their composite Earth Continent States?_

 _"The Wushi and the Jishu began the War. The Wushi was the State of Gaipan, and Jishu was the Shilun Technocratic Alliance, consisting of..."_

Aiwa couldn't remember _._

 _"I know this!"_

Once upon a time, perhaps, but no more.

"Alright everyone, put your pens down, time's up." As Varli collected up all of the test papers, Aiwa sat in her chair deep in thought, trying desperately to recall the names of the three states that had formed the Shilun Technocratic Alliance, but to no avail.

"Aiwa? Everything alright?" Pema asked, after the rest of the class had left, all chatting excitedly about the evening's special event. The Avatar was performing every action slowly, her mind still engaged with trying to bypass one stupid memory error.

"No. I can't remember something, and I really should. I studied it for the test! I distinctly remember reading the names of –"

"Aiwa, is something wrong?" Varli had walked over to where the two women were standing at the back of the otherwise empty classroom. "I know I said to talk to you, but you seem upset. Is everything alright? Pema, would you leave please? I would like to talk to the Avatar alone."

As the graceful airbender shut the door behind her, she caught Aiwa's eye and gave her a loving smile. Aiwa returned it, before focussing on her teacher.

"I wanted to discuss the importance of reacting correctly to ICE results, but something else is on your mind, yes?"

"...No." Aiwa's decision to lie shocked both of them, but she held her deception well. "I can't get it out of my mind, and it was distracting me all through the test." Varli nodded, prompting her to continue.

"You know how I argued with Xue the other day, and how I've apparently got an issue with being told lies? Well, it's starting to take hold, and it really came out today at the ICE result...and then just now in your test." Varli's expression was impenetrable.

"We're always told to come and see a Preservation counsellor when we're feeling even slightly compromised, so here it all is: I don't want to be told the truth. What I want is to know why the Preservation feels the need to lie to everyone, even its own members, about certain historical events."

It had all come out in a rush, and now Aiwa was embarrassed. She was certain that Varli was going to demand a private session in his office immediately. His response however, was different from anything she had anticipated.

"Aiwa, how do we define truth?"

The Avatar was stunned into silence. It was not something she'd ever thought about before. Varli, however, used her silence to make his point.

"I urge you to meditate on why the Preservation is the way it is. What possible motives could the Preservation have for lying so excessive? So...superfluously? What does it mean to lie? What is it to tell the truth? What is truth to humans?"

Aiwa looked Varli straight in the eyes, utterly confused. The old man placed a sympathetic hand upon her shoulder.

"It is natural to have such doubts. And the greater the mental inertia, the greater the doubts. You are a very smart young woman, Aiwa. And you needn't fear so much. I know that you're loyal to the Preservation. And even if you weren't..." Varli closed his eyes for a moment, before Giving Aiwa a stern look. "You are the Avatar. We need you far more than you need us. So I compel you to meditate, to go deep within, assess your doubts, and conclude what _you_ perceive to be true."

With Varli's final emphasis, something clicked for Aiwa. She had a moment of realisation, only present for a second before it was washed away by the turbulence of thoughts.

* * *

"Did you say Pema would be at the Roughs?" Aiwa asked.

"I did, and I'm actually going that way now. Do you wanna come along?" San was already walking at a fast pace. He beckoned for Aiwa to follow him.

"Sure." Aiwa smiled, and the two of them headed off through the north compound gate. Air from the Si Wong region had warmed the northern mid-latitudes, and as a result the day had heated up substantially. The thermodomes had remained open, and students and other members with time on their hands were advised to make the most of the fair weather on the Roughs to the north. This was an area designated for civilian combat training. The United Preservation Forces trained further to the north, by the airfield. Now, Aiwa and her friend San joined the throng of junior members heading through the sparse pine forest to the battlefield on the craggy plains.

San was usually talkative, but today he seemed quite disgruntled. The young man's brow was furrowed, and he was clearly deep in thought. Aiwa walked with him for a few minutes, before speaking.

"Everything alright?"

"Kinda. I've been thinking again."

"Hah! San, we've had this conversation. You know that's not a good idea!"

Grinning, the muscly earthbender gave Aiwa a light punch to the shoulder, and Aiwa retaliated in kind. A few moments of wrestling, and the Avatar was overpowered and held at arm's length. Their friendship ran deep. San was like an older brother to her.

"Come on! I wanna chuck some rocks."

"Hey," Aiwa said cautiously, placing a hand on his shoulder, "What's on your mind? If you don't air this out, it'll stick in your head, and distract you."

"I've been thinking about granddad." Aiwa could scarcely resist rolling her eyes. "You know I never met him, but somehow I feel really close to him. From what I've heard, he was a much better father than my dad was. "

"And?" Aiwa prompted. There was more to this.

"I wanna know what happened to him. I know he died near the end of the Diametric War, but I wanna know more."

"Have you considered just asking for access to the information? Is it really that big of a secret?"

"You wouldn't think so, right? Actually, I did ask yesterday. Varli said no, but in many more words. You know how he is..."

"Yeah, I know."

For a few minutes, the two of them walked in silence. Aiwa felt great love and pity for San. He was one of many children who had been saved by the Preservation after the Diametric War had orphaned had them. At twenty-two years of age, San's only remaining memories of his parents were of his father's brutality and his mother's total reliance on her abusive partner. But a source of happiness remained: San's mother had delighted in telling him all about his grandfather, Bolin the Great, who had fought hard in the Diametric War. Bolin had always wrestled with those of greater power to get what he sought, usually peace and stability for some disadvantaged community unfortunate enough to be caught up in the nationalistic struggles between the Jishu and Wushi. Bolin had been a man of great humility and kindness, ever ready to sacrifice for others, and this lead him to fight against both factions in the war. His ties were not to the "great" ideologies, but rather to the suffering and happiness of the common folk. In the end, he cared too much, for it was his altruism that ultimately brought death upon him.

"Have you had any luck with the bending?" Aiwa asked, acutely aware that this question could be asked of her, too.

"Nope. You'd know all about it if I had."

"Look, one thing I've learned is that the Preservation has some strange ideas about symbolism. I reckon if you can figure out how to bend lava, they'll be a lot more open to telling you about Bolin."

"That is weird."

"Tell me about it! You know how Xue's taken the job of being my spiritual instructor? Well he's got some crazy idea that I need to learn the truth in stages... At least, it seems crazy, right?"

"Totally!"

The two of them laughed, but a strange feeling had stolen over Aiwa. All of a sudden, Xue's demand for patience seemed somehow more reasonable. What if San learned that Bolin had, in fact, been killed by the Preservation, rather than the Jishu or Wushi? All his potential for good would be lost amidst a torrent of anger, and he would no doubt be labelled compromised, be put immediately into ICE, fail, and be publicly executed as an example of how emotional instability can destroy a person.

Was Aiwa really any better? Could she handle the truth?

"Yeah! Let's get Roughs!" Aiwa looked up from her musings to see that they had come to the edge of the forest, and San was sprinting off ahead.

"See you later, Aiwa!" After a quick wave, the earthbender leapt into the air, smashed down into the ground, and pulled the ground up in waves behind him, surfing away upon it at great speed. Aiwa smiled briefly, before making sure that all of the other members had moved away across the broken plains. Shifting slowly back into correct stance, she recalled Zhain's words from earlier.

 _"Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire!"_

Breathing deeply, Aiwa imagined she could feel the flow of chi as it connected with the air within her lungs. _"The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes..."_ A failure. Her thrust had ended in a very slight gust of air due to the motion of her arm, but nothing more.

"Damn it!" She swore loudly. A sudden headache, not unusual, caused her to wince, and she pressed hard against her temple. However, the pain was gone only seconds later, leaving a confused, dismayed, and angry Avatar to ponder her faults.

* * *

"Now this is more like it!" Trotting enthusiastically along the gantry, Aiwa stopped at points to peer down into the hive of activity below. Great pipes, pistons, and cables worked tirelessly to ensure the production of energy never ceased, enormous computer hubs calculated correct distribution based on present consumption and projected needs, and the massive, solid wall of the central reactor seemed to pulse with spiritual energy. "Amazing!"

"Students, this is Bataar Senior. He's actually both a Senior and a Senior, if you get what I mean." As the tour group moved from the gantry to a smaller room off to one side, the technician who had come to speak with them became visible. Bataar Senior had a long, wrinkled face, a grey head of hair, a matching goatee, and a set of clean, black glasses which looked like they were moulded to his face. Like all chi-fusion technicians he was dressed in grey and light orange, with a large number of white stripes over his shoulder indicating his important status. "Bataar is the chief technician of the chi-fusion project," Varli went on. "He's been involved in engineering projects his entire life, dating back even to the existence of the Zaofu domes, which formed the prototypes for the thermodomes which now shield us from the worst of the Winter. His work with chi-fusion was ultimately inspired by the development of the first spirit energy cannon, which, as you all know, was used to devastating effect in the old United Republic of Nations invasion of one-hundred seventy-four AG."

"But I couldn't let the idea go," cut in Bataar, stepping forward and smiling, his hands clasped together. "The potential for harnessing spiritual energy for good was just too attractive an idea. Of course, I could see the devastation that it had wrought upon the old Republic City, and I knew it should never be used in weaponised form, but..." He wrung his knobbly hands. "When the Shilun opened their borders to anyone with experience dealing with spirit energy engineering projects, I couldn't refuse." A shadow passed briefly across his face, and Aiwa noted it, but the old man continued, his creaky voice working as tirelessly as he clearly had over the years. "I eventually discovered the Constellation project, and begged to be transferred. Thankfully, they needed my skills, and so I worked developing spaceship hulls that incorporated chi-based circuitry, so that the associated energy field would completely reflect all incident ionising radiation. There are still a number of old Shilun satellites in orbit today..." There was the shadow again. Aiwa didn't know if she was the only one who could see it, but Bataar was consciously avoiding mentioning something.

After a lengthy tour of the reactor, which drew huge yawns from a great number of bored students, Aiwa sidled over to Bataar while Varli and the others were eating dinner in a compound much closer to the surface. It was hardly unorthodox to attempt a private conversation with a high-ranking Preservation Senior – in fact, students with a drive to self-educate were showered with praise – but Aiwa wanted the material of her intended exchange to stay private.

"Bataar, hello again."

"Avatar Aiwa." The old man shook her hand, smiling. In the bright, artificial light from the ceiling, the engineer's wrinkles stood out greatly. He must have been at least a hundred years old. The Preservation had ways of living up to its name, especially when what needed to be preserved was the life and experience of a very skilled and clever individual. "I saw you briefly a few years ago now. Was it my sister's ICE result?"

"I think so. I'm glad she passed! Opal was always lovely to me. Do you know where she is now?"

"She's actually been retired to permanent meditative retreat, though I'm not sure where. She's too frail to be of any use – or any threat – so the Preservation is putting her mind to work, something which I'm pleased to say she accepted fully. There's something about the wiring of an airbender's brain that makes them ideal for generation of fresh concepts. Sadly, I doubt you'll ever see her again, not unless you put in an explicit request. Though you should tell San – he might want to see his grandmother." Aiwa smiled.

"I'll do that. But I wanted to ask you something else. I'm not sure if it's publicly available knowledge, though."

"Well, you might as well ask, and I'll tell you, one way or another." Aiwa took a moment to think through her phrasing. The right mention of a name could unlock his knowledge.

"You know Jinora's son, Xue? He's my spiritual mentor, now. The Preservation has judged that I can begin training, 'cause my tumour is completely gone. But he's also teaching me about Junto –"

"Shhh!" Bataar immediately shushed the Avatar, and Aiwa shut her mouth, startled. "I implore you not to mention his name here, of all places. But if you have a question about Junto, and Xue wants you to know, I can probably answer it." Taking Aiwa by the hand, Bataar walked around a corner and out of sight of the rest of the tour group. The sounds of machinery echoed through the underground compound, and Aiwa could still feel the rumble of the reactor deep beneath them.

Allowing no rest, Aiwa immediately questioned the old man.

"Xue won't confirm or deny it, but I think Junto destroyed those two fortresses during the Diametric War. Is this true? I figure it has to be him. He was active in the war at both times, and some of the reports of the fighting across the Great Divide say that he was able to bend spirit energy itself. It's not a huge step to imagine that, in the Avatar State, he could summon enough energy to do that kind of damage." Xue paused for only a moment, before answering the question.

"No. It wasn't him. It would be a good fit, if all your evidence were correct, but it wasn't him. As far as I'm aware, Junto never had that power, and it was something he lamented greatly. Avatar Korra bent pure chi once, but Junto could never do it. But the explosion was, as the Jishu claimed, from a chi-based weapon. It was only ever used three times, and we hope it will never be fired again." Aiwa's brain stopped for a moment in processing what she had received, took several steps back, and picked up on a different fact.

"So the weapon is still out there?"

"Yes. We're actually in the process of trying to recover and dismantle it to remove the threat. Now, I'm sorry, but that's the limit of information I'm allowed to share with someone of your status. If you ask Xue to –"

"No need," spoke Aiwa gloomily, "he's got some idea about how I need to be taught the truth incrementally. Weird stuff." The innocence bluff worked, and Bataar nodded, grinning.

"Yes, old Xue is a funny one. He's about as neutral a Preservation Senior as you can be, if you know what I mean. Never gets truly passionate about anything important. But he does his job, and he does it well, and he knows it, so we keep him. It all works really quite well."

* * *

The hour was now late, and Aiwa's lids were drooping. The Avatar was fortunate in having a room to herself, as small as it was. Hard wooden walls gave the interior a more natural feel, while the outer shell consisted of multiple insulating layers covered by protective metal. The room was also one of very few built into the cliffs above the Habitation Zone, as most members' residences were cocooned within the thermodome just below the crenellations.

Aiwa had brought _Tea and History_ back with her, and was now sitting comfortably in her warm bed, reading with fascination the words of another universe.

 _It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. This philosophy of unity can make anyone stronger. Just as one realises the illusion of duality, and its effects as chains upon the mind, one finds the key to escape from the shackles of life, and sees things as a dream that was long ago awoken from..._

Aiwa never even noticed herself nodding off, for the warmth of her bed and the homeliness of her room were so comforting. Then, Aiwa left her body behind, and was flung out across the infinite void, into the furthest light...

* * *

 _Aiwa stood on a lonely beach. The creaking of branches behind her and the sigh of wind in the treetops sent shivers down her spine. Leaves swirled around the sand and stones of the desolate beach, while waves washed gently against rocky outcrops. The dark waters faded to green and orange in the mists out to sea._

 _Suddenly, Aiwa was aware of a presence other than her own. She was rooted to the spot, paralysed, and she shuddered a little with fear. This whole place was a terror that stretched beyond words and into pure experience._

 _Then, a voice spoke. It was a croak, an ancient rasp, but it commanded a power that Aiwa felt but did not understand._

 _"I don't know if it's the way I called you here, or some natural reaction, but I'm sorry for the way you feel."_

 _"I – I can't move!" Aiwa gasped, finding that she could still speak. She was straining with every muscle of her body, but to no avail. It was uncertain how she was even standing...if one really stood in this place._

 _"You need to relax. You'll come to no harm here. I've ensured that we won't be disturbed. No spirit will ever visit this place. It was the cradle for one this world wishes to forget." Aiwa, however, could scarcely calm herself, and continued in desperation to move her muscles._

 _"Suffer, then, if that is your choice. But also listen to me."_

 _Noiselessly, an old man walked into view from the right, and Aiwa's eyes tracked him in terror. Dressed in simple, grey garments and concealed by a great mop of white hair, he raised his head and cleared the hair from his face. Lined and ancient though it was, Aiwa felt as though she were perceiving the physical embodiment of willpower._

 _"Aiwa."_

 _"Y-Yes?"_

 _"You don't know who I am."_

 _"No – should I?"_

 _"Not yet. The truth is that I don't exist."_

 _"The truth? What do you mean?"_

 _"Ah, I see they've begun. You already understand more than I thought you would."_

 _"Speak sense or not at all!"_

 _Aiwa's fear was turning to anger, and although she could not move a single muscle, the old man's riddles were completely unappreciated._

 _"I never met Xue, but I'd imagine he's rather antagonistic towards you, the Avatar."_

 _"You know who I am? What I am? Who are you?"_

 _The old man ignored her questions entirely. Turning to his right, he picked up a single, small stone from atop a mound of sand and began to turn it over at his hand, staring down at it intently._

 _"I've always found it particularly fascinating how the children are conditioned. Or perhaps, rather, what you condition them with."_

 _"The children? You mean...the children?" Aiwa gasped, her head beginning to throb with pain. The old man turned his gaze back to meet Aiwa's, and the chill that shot through the Avatar's spine brought back the unnatural terror._

 _"Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void, empty, and become wind."_

 _"That's not how it goes!"_

 _Forcing the words out now felt like a poison, but she had to say something. The old man smiled._

 _"Not anymore, no. I understand. But the Preservation took its philosophy and its rules from many sources. This is important, as drawing wisdom from many different places will prevent it from becoming rigid and stale. You have a teacher now." It was stated as a fact, but Aiwa knew it required an answer, not a response._

 _"I do." It was all she could manage._

 _"You should keep in mind what I've just told you. I know you have a particularly strong will towards the truth." Aiwa strained to nod. She was beginning to shake uncontrollably._

 _"If you remember nothing else from this encounter, remember this: once change has begun, it cannot be stopped."_

 _"So many riddles..." A tear rolled down Aiwa's cheek, her voice cracking. "Stop. Let me go."_

 _"Very well. Goodbye, Aiwa. You'll see me again."_ And with these words, darkness enveloped everything, and only moments later, Aiwa slept.


	4. Chapter Three: The Western Spirit Portal

Chapter Three: The Western Spirit Portal  
256 AG, High Summer  
Main Airfield, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

* * *

Aiwa hurried across the Roughs, winding her way along the central path that lead to the main airfield.

" _Nine o'clock sharp,_ " he'd said. " _There'll be no waiting for stragglers,_ " he'd said. It was a quarter to nine, and the in spite of her efforts to pack the night before, Aiwa was still running late.

The morning was cloudless, and the cold seemed to eat away at any exposed skin, corroding even the warm core within. Last week's heatwave had hurried on, thrust aside by the cold front that the weather analysts had hesitantly forecast. Far to the north, the mountains rose up steeply, their peaks lost in swirling clouds. The southerly gusts of wind that so frequently tore through Masami Valley made walking difficult, and the shouts of those members braving the cold to train on the Roughs were all but lost in the howling gale.

A few minutes later, Aiwa was sprinting past the giant windbreaks that stood on the open ground between the trees at the edge of the Roughs and the airfield compound. The quarters and training grounds for the UPF, the United Preservation Forces, lay to the west across stony flats. Beyond, and to the south-west, was the Deepwood, the forest that had grown over and down into an ancient meteorite impact crater. Further south was the giant Habitation Zone, whose immense windbreak of a northern wall was just visible above the forest treetops.

"Hi! Wait! Don't leave without me!"

Aiwa could hear the roar of jet engines over the wind. A guard at the compound entrance stepped out to meet her, while several others stood back in shelter.

"ID please! Where's your destination?"

"I don't have my ID here! I was invited by Senior Xue on the nine o'clock flight to the Republic City Ruins just yesterday!"

"Come out of the wind! That's better. But miss, you need ID to –"

"She's with me." Xue had stepped through the a dark doorway behind the guards. He flashed a Senior's ID, grabbed Aiwa by the arm, and forcefully walked her inside the compound.

"Follow me – quickly!" The airbender took off at quite a pace through the airport interior, and it was all the Avatar could do just to keep up with him. "Didn't I say not to be late? No, don't talk, just run!"

Her pack digging into her back, Aiwa raced to keep up. Dim rooms, skylights, and decorative plants flashed by, the green and grey blurring together. Then, out onto the tarmac. The roar of the great Bison Transport's engines was loud, but for a moment it was suppressed by a deep scream. Glancing to her left, Aiwa saw a pair of Chysaag Fighters streak down an adjacent runway. Seconds later, the Spines were shooting upwards, before being lost in the turbulent clouds, high above. The Bison stood before her, a much larger, bulkier aircraft. Its kind had first seen service in the Diametric War, after the Wushi scientists and engineers had acquired jet technology.

Around behind the Bison, the aircraft's cargo hatch was open, and inside sat almost five dozen men and women, soldiers and scientists, all prepared for takeoff.

"Get inside!" Xue pushed Aiwa up the ramp and into the aircraft's interior. "Find a seat, any seat. Pilot!" He yelled out violently, "Let's go now!" The airbender launched himself inside the aircraft with an effortless gust of wind, and a woman in a flight jacket pulled the lever to close the hatch behind him.

"Sit down somewhere. You need to be strapped in for –" Aiwa lurched as the plane began to move. The airman grabbed the Avatar's bags and deftly strapped them to the ceiling above the wall seats, while Aiwa scrambled into a seat and fastened the safety belt around her torso. The belt parted her breasts noticeably, and Aiwa grumbled to herself as she caught several of the male soldiers stealing glances at her.

Aiwa wasn't particularly pretty, she had been told. With almost no hair after her therapy and subsequent operations for the brain tumour, any natural beauty her head might have retained was well and truly gone. But she did have a figure that many of the male Preservation members couldn't resist stealing furtive glances at. She scowled.

Everyone was now seated, and the Bison's acceleration increased rapidly. Aiwa clutched at the soldiers either side of her, something everyone felt the need to do, in spite of the more than firm safety belts. A few seconds later, and they had lifted off from the ground. The feeling was exhilarating, and Aiwa breathed deeply. She had not taken a plane trip in living memory. The Preservation had airlifted her and her parents from the Fire Nation when she was very young, and she had no recollection of the event.

A few minutes later, the noise from the Bison's engines had subsided a little, and scattered conversation broke out amongst the passengers. Aiwa was looking around, assessing all of the UPF soldiers and Preservation members, when she noticed that Xue was staring at her intently.

"What?" She asked bluntly. Xue smiled.

"Aiwa, I'd like you to meet Rohan." One of the soldiers sitting a few seats towards the cockpit from Aiwa, an old man in UPF uniform, broke off from his conversation with a young, female scientist and turned to look at Aiwa with a smile. He looked to be at least eighty, balding and wrinkled, but tough and corded with muscle.

"Rohan's my uncle." Xue seemed to admit the fact begrudgingly. "He served in the Jishu military as a fighter pilot, and –"

"Yeah, alright nephew, I can speak for myself." Xue seemed to shrink back into his chair, but his demeanour was not particularly sour.

"Fine. Since we're on this flight for most of the day, I wanted to take the time to expose the Avatar to some events of historical significance, particularly those that took place during –"

"Yeah, I get it!"

Xue rolled his eyes at the repeated interruption, but did not contest the right to speak. Rohan turned his attention to Aiwa.

"It's great to meet you, Avatar Aiwa." His voice was rugged and harsh, but still somehow full of compassion. He leaned over two soldiers to shake Aiwa's hand, and his grip was incredibly firm for someone of his age.

"You too," Aiwa replied with a smile. "So you're an airbender?"

"Nope! Only one of Tenzin's kids who wasn't actually. My old mother wanted a non-bender, and she got her wish."

"So you joined the Jishu military?"

"Yeah, after I ran away from home. There were problems. But I don't want to get into that."

"Right choice," Xue put in, eyes flashing. Rohan returned his glare, unfazed, before continuing.

"Born to an airbender family, I couldn't really escape my…natural affinity. I spent most of my prime test-piloting prototype aircraft for the Shilun Alliance. I ended up flying the very first jet aircraft! Imagine that, eh? The first Spine fighter was pretty clunky compared with those sleek guys you saw taking off to escort us, but it was still miles ahead of anything the Wushi could manufacture. Of course, I got talked into a pilot-trainer role, and then into a combat roll..." Rohan shifted his coat. "I saw some serious action over the Baaj Archipelago, and that changed things a bit, but I was always just fighting for myself and for the Jishu. It seemed like they were in the right, and I needed to earn a crust, so it worked out well."

"And what happened after the war?"

"Well, the Preservation tracked me down pretty quickly, and once they explained what they were all about, I thought it was the most good I could do to join up and fly escorts for the earlier kidnapping missions –"

"Rohan, you know we don't call them that –" Xue cut in, but his uncle talked right over him.

"Yeah, but that's what they were. Call it like it is, little nephew." Some of the soldiers chuckled, and Xue scowled, sinking back into his seat. Rohan turned back to Aiwa.

"We helped pull some key figures out before the volcanoes went crazy. I probably helped save you, you know." Aiwa smiled.

"Well, thanks for that!"'

"You're welcome. But I think Senior Xue has something to say?" Rohan turned to look at the old airbender, whose arms were crossed and whose mouth was slightly open.

"Yes. Rohan, I was hoping you could tell Aiwa about the navy campaign around the time of Isle Five."

"Well, sure." Rohan shifted his coat again, before continuing. "The Jishu got hold of some pretty powerful new chi-technology – Makila tech – and it was easiest to put it to use first in the navy. Large ships that you could build big chi-energy-housing structures into – it really couldn't have started any other way. Except –"

Rohan turned suddenly to look Xue, and the latter shook his head.

"Not now. She's not ready for that knowledge." Aiwa's irritation swelled.

"Oh, that again?"

"You'll get the full story as it becomes appropriate, Aiwa."

"And you just decide that arbitrarily, do you?"

"Not exactly – but what makes you think you know better?" Cowed once more, Aiwa closed her mouth. "Good. Don't worry, you'll learn everything you want to in due season. But for now, Rohan?"

Rohan nodded, unperturbed by the acidic exchange between Aiwa and Xue, and proceeded to describe with morbid detail the Battle of Isle Five and the military campaigns that had both lead up to and been launched by the Jishu's naval success in the south. His exposition took over an hour. When he was finished, Aiwa's mind was filled with images of giant battleships with blazing cannons, smouldering island bunkers, and soaring fighter jets.

A scientist called Quan was now conversing with Rohan over the Magnetic Kinetic Launchers, or 'Makila' weapons that had helped propel the Jishu navy to victory, but Aiwa was no longer paying attention. She found herself staring at Xue, who gazed impassively back for a few seconds, before joining Quan and Rohan in discussion. But in those few seconds, Aiwa felt she's understood something.

Her thinking had changed. Rohan's stories, his graphic depictions of the deadly struggles that had taken place long before Aiwa's time, had flicked a switch in Aiwa's mind, and now she was associating the grandeur of battle with something more sinister. She'd never thought of conflict as a good thing, but neither had it occupied strong negative position in her mind. Now, that was changing.

 _"Is this change what Xue wants?"_

Aiwa had nothing to say to herself, and sank back into thoughtful stillness for the rest of the flight.

* * *

"Look at that..." Quan's smile was nothing but peaceful in the cool, yellow light. "The Western Spirit Portal. Isn't it beautiful?"

Dusk was setting in, and the cold was beginning to bite even as the winds subsided. The Bison had landed at an old airfield beyond the mountains to the north of the Republic City Ruins, and travelling in the armoured vehicles to the old city had taken at least half an hour. However, the mechanised transport could only take them so far, as much of the old capital had been ruined by seismic upheaval, enhanced by proximity to the Spirit Portal. Quan had tried to explain it to Aiwa – something about the complex chi fields locked to plate tectonics and an amplifying effect from the Portal. But now the whole group, some fifty scientists and military personnel, was picking its way through the debris of collapsed buildings and torn and shattered bitumen. In some places, it wasn't even clear where the roads had been. It was crucial that they set up camp as soon as possible, and the best location was already marked out, some few hundred metres from the Portal itself.

"Let's keep going, now!" Xue's voice was as brisk and abrasive as the temperature ambience, and Aiwa tore her gaze away from the pillar of golden light that reached far up into the darkening skies...

"Hey, I've been wanting to ask for a while now," Aiwa spoke, as they set off again, "Quan, right? So, can you tell me about the volcanic winter? It's fascinated me for a while now, but I'd never really thought to ask."

The young scientist smiled. He looked to be in his mid twenties, tall and with messy black hair that was short around the sides, and strangely puffy cheeks. He was also particularly scrawny.

"What do you want to know? I've done a lot of work in atmospheric physics, and most of it's relevant to the Winter in some way."

"Well, for a start, volcanoes are hot, so how do mass eruptions cool the planet? I have a vague idea, but –"

"Ah, basics," cut in Quan, not unkindly, "I see. How much detail do you want?"

"I've never studied…atmospheric physics. I've done the principles of science, but not much more specific."

"Alright then: in short, ash clouds from the volcanoes block out the sunlight, and this effect that is much stronger than just the head dispensed by the eruptions. Does that answer your question? I don't know how much more I can explain without going into concepts of entropy and blackbody radiation…"

Aiwa chuckled. "No, that's enough. You're the scientist! No offense, but you'd probably lose my interest pretty quickly."

Quan nodded, smiling. Then, something else occurred to Aiwa.

"Hey, what about bringing the ash down out of the sky? Maybe it's a stupid idea, but…I'd have thought, with the kind of technology we have, something like that could be possible. _Is_ it a stupid idea?"

Quan smiled again, and turned to look at Xue, who was walking a few metres behind them, listening to the conversation. Xue nodded.

"A sub-project of the APD – that's my department – is looking into mechanisms by which we could bring the ash down or otherwise getting rid of it. We haven't had much luck so far. Actually, it's a shame we don't have access to more of the technology from the old Shilun Alliance – it might really make a difference."

"Shouldn't you be putting more resources into it? If this could get rid of the Winter, then why is it just a sub-project?"

"Because the primary projects of all science departments are focussed on keeping us all alive and functioning in the short-term," Quan spoke, his smile slightly diminished. He gave Aiwa a strange look. "Hasn't the Avatar been educated on exactly the kind of problems we face on a day-to-day basis?"

"Not exactly," Xue chimed in from behind. "You might recall Aiwa's had some health issues?"

"Ah, yes. But do you educate the initiates much at all on the specifics?"

"We ensure that they're taught some science, but knowledge of existential issues is strictly on a need-to-know basis. Now, I'd like you to stop explaining so much. Aiwa may be the Avatar, and that grants her access to more than most, but still not too much." Xue's gaze shifted from the scientist to the Avatar. "She knows this well."

Aiwa nodded in acquiescence, and looked away.

"We're here!" someone called from the front of the group, and Xue quickly pushed past Aiwa and Quan to launch with airbending up the scree slope ahead to where several soldiers were standing, gazing up at the Portal's golden light. The sky was now very dark, with only a few stars visible due to the immense light pollution from the Portal.

Helped up by Quan and another scientist, Aiwa scrambled to the top of the rubble pile, which appeared to be fully half of a tall building, the remnants of which stood to the left.

"There it is – the Western Spirit Portal."

From atop the rocky perch, Aiwa looked down into a great crater. The ground around the edges was steep, brown earth, but the bottom was a jumbled mix of grey concrete chunks and natural stones, with frozen puddles here and there, many at least ten metres across. In the centre, the ground rose up again to plateau out into a smooth circle, in the centre of which was the Portal itself. The wondrous, yellow glow illuminated the whole crater and surrounding buildings, and the spire of light that shot up into the sky was magnificent to behold –

"The vines are gone!"

Aiwa's trance was interrupted, and she looked to her right to see Xue standing next to her, his right arm clutching the stump of his left, and his face filled with concern. "And the Colossus remnants too! How...?"

But as Xue pondered these changes, the operation commander, who stood between Aiwa and Xue, put his hand to his radio earpiece, and his expression quickly changed to one of serious urgency.

"Senior, Neutral Jing above reports movement from the south side of the city. They can't identify, and are requesting permission for a closer sweep."

"That will give away our identity, right?"

"No one else has fighters anymore – I think it will."

"Right." Xue turned to face the group of soldiers and scientists, all standing atop the ruins. "Listen up! We've got an unknown force moving up from the south. I want this mission to be a success – we need that data from the Portal – but safety comes first! All researchers, make your way to the Portal, but don't set up, and be ready to enter the Spirit World if we're attacked. Commander Chodak, I want at least ten soldiers guarding the scientists. Set the rest of your men up in hidden, defensible positions along the southern perimeter of the Portal crater, and wait for further orders. If you come under attack, full force retaliation is sanctioned. Take charge, now, and do as you see fit, but hold my first orders. I'm going to the Future Industries factory ruins, and I need either Om or Taka with me."

"Take Om." A single soldier moved to stand next to Xue, an earthbender, signified by the brown stripe through the middle of the Preservation symbol, a white annulus, on his shoulder pad.

"Very well – get moving, people!" There was a sudden scrambling as the scientists began to descend down the rocky slope and into the crater, while the UPF soldiers, all clad in black flex-steel and with tinted visors down, began to scatter through the wrecked buildings to the south, instructed by Chodak.

"...So what about me?" Aiwa spoke uncertainly, watching the scientists move further into the crater, illuminated by the blooming yellow of the Portal.

"Are you a soldier?" Xue's voice cracked like a whip, and Aiwa jumped. She thought he had already left.

"No –"

"Then you're a civilian, so go to the Portal! Om, with me." Xue took off around the edge of the Portal crater at extreme pace, leaping deftly between giant chunks of earth and masonry, the earthbender following just behind.

Aiwa turned to see Chodak looking at her. She had not seen his face at all, and was a little daunted by the gleaming visor. The commander's gaze seemed to pierce right through her.

"Better get going, Avatar." And without another word, the airbender blasted himself up and into a gaping hole in the second floor of the nearest structure. A faint roar grew and then subsided, indicating that a Spine had passed low overhead somewhere nearby.

A minute later, and Aiwa had caught up with the scientists and their guards. Her pack had been abandoned back at the crater's edge, but it wasn't important.

"So what now?" asked Quan as soon as they had climbed up onto the Portal mesa.

"You heard Senior Xue," spoke one of the guards, lifting his visor to reveal a smooth, womanly face beneath, "stay here until the situation is resolved. Retreat through the Portal if necessary." Aiwa tore her gaze from the bright yellow pillar, now almost overwhelming at only a few metres away. The soldier's armour was slimmer than most of the others', and the while annulus on her left shoulder pad was struck through diagonally with a shaft of crimson.

"Boring –" began Quan, pretending to yawn, but the female firebender was at his collar in an instant.

"What do you call this behaviour?" she reprimanded firmly. "Feel like an ICE?"

"That's enough!" Another soldier had stepped forward, his visor still lowered and his voice muffled because of it, yet still quite loud and gruff. His badge was dashed with a trio of blue waves. "Quan, shut up! Zalia, no threats! Let's keep this calm and civil." This man was clearly the dominant soldier of the group, and closer inspection of his helmet markings revealed him to be superior in rank.

Suddenly, another soldier, an earthbender, put his hand up to his ear, and the gruff waterbender held one hand for silence, and pointed to the radioman with the other.

"The commander thinks they're hostile. Maybe local survivors who've learned to be aggressive towards rival gangs –" A booming voice suddenly echoed around the crater, easily drowning out the constant but faint humming from the Portal.

"Unknown...stay where you are...attacked...I repeat...you are...attacked..." Aiwa could only make out a few words here and there, as the vocal amplifier in Chodak's suit distorted his voice greatly, and the echoes confused it even further. She got the gist, however. She turned to look at the communications officer, whose name she remembered from an earlier excursion to the Shewen Docks to be Taka. The sky had now faded completely into the falling darkness, but directly above, the golden light of the portal created a haze that spread out in all directions across the night, starkly illuminating the low, dense cloud cover. A few more stars were now visible near the southern horizon, in spite of the intense light pollution, and Aiwa was suddenly aware of how bitterly cold it had become.

"They're not holding back...they're attacking!"

As if confirming Taka's statement, a crash and a rumble sounded, and a plume of dust sprang up beyond the nearest structures to the south, illuminated by the Portal's light. Flying rocks and small bursts of fire could be seen, and a large water whip lashed around above the buildings, before turning to ice and crashing back out of sight. Quan drew a sharp breath, and a few of the other scientists shifted nervously.

"Don't worry, you'll all be fine," spoke the firebender, Zalia, lowering her visor once more. "Listen, they've called in the Spines."

A faint whine could be heard. It grew louder and louder, and Aiwa's heart suddenly leapt as a silver blur flashed over their heads, ear-splittingly loud, before vanishing into the darkness as quickly as it had appeared. A second later, a terrific flash and a plume of fire taller than any of the surrounding structures appeared, followed by a huge, ear-searing roar a few seconds later. The tail end of the explosion itself reached them moments later, whipping up dust and ash and spraying high into the air.

"That's danger close!" cried out Zalia, and a few of the other soldiers murmured to each other.

The whine grew again, and although Aiwa didn't see the fighter this time, she heard the repeated flaring of a rocket barrage, and saw a multitude of smaller blasts light up a structure to the south-west of the crater. A rumbling followed, and the small building collapsed down into ruin. The dust that flowed from its death and from the rest of the combat began to spread greatly.

"They're coming for us!" Quan's terrified voice grabbed everyone's attention, and Aiwa jumped with fright. Turning, she saw a band of rebels tearing down the western side of the crater. Aiwa swore she could hear them laughing...

"Through the portal! Go, go!" The assertive waterbender began to usher the scientists into the yellow light, gently at first, but with increasing haste and violence as the unknown assailants grew nearer and nearer, now crossing the crater basin. In spite of her fear, Aiwa held back as long as she could. "Earthbenders, form a line! Air and fire, stand behind, water on the flanks! One volley each, on my command, then through the Portal!"

Glancing around, the commanding waterbender noticed that Aiwa was still standing behind the soldiers, while all the other civilians had vanished.

"Get going!" the gruff man shouted, grabbing her arm and shoving her towards the Portal. Aiwa stumbled a little, but kept walking.

As she was about to touch the golden light, something terrifying happened. Aiwa was momentarily torn from her body, and it seemed like she was standing in the light, looking back at herself, noticing the hideous scars on her scalp, the ugly, uneven regrowth of hair, and the fear in her own eyes. A pair of glowing, white orbs flashed across her vision, accompanied by a burst of anger that was not her own, and a pulsing headache.

"Through the Portal...go..." she could hear the voice yelling, but it was dull compared to the screech of her throbbing head. Then, a rough shove to her back sent her stumbling into the Portal, and Aiwa was flung out across the infinite void, into the furthest light...


	5. Chapter Four: Karma of Fire

Chapter Four: Karma of Fire  
256 AG  
Western Spirit Portal, Kuvira's Canyon, Spirit World

* * *

Slowly at first, and then with rapidly increasing strength, Aiwa felt her body rematerialising – and with it returned all the suffering.

She was tumbling head over heels across a warm, soft surface. Her eyes perceived mingling flashes of deep purple and icy blue, with a green and yellow pulse. Then, all of a sudden, she was lying on her back, dazed, in a field of soft grass, her head still throbbing with pain.

"Ah..." she gasped, gulping in air and wincing. It was pleasant here. The sky above her was a dazzling mixture of blue and pink. If it weren't for her aching head, she could stay here forever.

Then, someone yelled, and her mind reconnected with reality.

Aiwa sat bolt upright, staring around at the icy blue cliffs, the golden-brown, withered trees, and the purple carpet of flowers that covered the ground in every direction. Someone dashed past her, and Aiwa watched a UPF soldier sprint some ten metres away from the Portal, before turning back to face it in a combat stance.

"Get up!" Someone grabbed her by the back of her jacket and hoisted her to her feet. Half-running, half-dragged along, she was dumped some distance from the Portal. Scrambling to her feet, Aiwa stared around in fright. Standing near to her were half a dozen men and women in black flex-steel, all facing the glowing Spirit Portal in aggressive stances. To her right and some distance away up a gentle rise, the scientists were all sheltering behind low, dark grey dunes and wilting spirit trees, with the remaining UPF guards visible amongst them.

"Aiwa, get back!"

One of the UPF airbenders raised his visor, his face full of apprehension.

"Sir, I heard the Spirit World doesn't react well to ill intentions –" The lead waterbender cut him off.

"Then it's luck we don't have any – we're defending ourselves!"

"I'm not sure the spirits will see it that way –"

"Then they're stupid, and we're done for, so let's hope you're wrong. Now get ready to blast these scum back into the physical realm!"

Aiwa suddenly noticed that Zalia's armour had a serious tear down her right leg, and a red liquid was oozing from the gash. The soldier seemed not to have noticed. Another firebender was sporting a charred graze to his helmet, though this appeared far less severe.

"Zalia," she said, pointing, and the firebender turned around in surprise, before looking down at her own leg.

"Oh no..." She collapsed down onto the ground, and a UPF waterbender immediately knelt down beside her, a pouch of water open and glowing with healing energy.

"Kaira, get her patched up! Everyone else, ready up! Taka, I want you to – Aiwa! Aiwa, come back here! Where are you going? Come back!"

Aiwa was running, though she knew not where. The gruff man's voice was fading into the distance, along with the glow of the Spirit Portal. Something had taken hold of her mind, and it would not let go. A compulsion, invisible yet powerful, had wiped all will and intention from her mind, and was driving her on with an energy that was both her own and completely alien.

"Aiwa!" The cry echoed around the canyon, but it was immediately lost in a growing din of rumbling earth and anxious shouts. Aiwa ran ever onward, breathing heavily, her eyes smarting in the wind.

Sometime later, Aiwa stopped. The impulse to run had subsided, and with it the energy that had filled her limbs and her lungs. Panting, she sat down upon a nearby rock and caught her breath, before surveying her surroundings.

She was sitting near the entrance to a narrow ravine. The deep blue mountains that rose up on either side were steep and sharp, and the sky beyond them was pink and dashed with velvet clouds. To either side of her, the hills ascended into rolling mists, and Aiwa could see spirits soaring through the fog. A huge, whale-like creature glided slowly overhead, and Aiwa watched it pass in awe. Looking behind, she could just make out a single, distant mountain that was glowing with reflected, yellow light. There was only one path, one way to go. And she couldn't go back – not now. The compulsion to hurry had faded, but the calling had grown in clarity, and now Aiwa could feel it tugging at her. Peering into the ravine ahead, she saw orange mists concealing spirit vines and giant mushrooms, but it did not appear overly threatening.

"Well, here goes I suppose."

As she stood up, Aiwa jumped with fright, for by the entrance to the ravine was something she had not noticed. A human figure stood there, cloaked from head to toe in grey, their face concealed. Aiwa opened her mouth to speak, but the figure beat her to it.

"Are you the Avatar?"

Aiwa was about to reply, but then she remembered the conversation in Xue's office the week before, and she changed her response.

"I...don't know."

The figure snorted.

"What do you mean you don't know? You must be! I felt the Avatar enter the Spirit World, and so exerted my will to bring you here. You're here, so you must be the Avatar!"

"Yeah..." Aiwa's response lacked any enthusiasm, and the cloaked figure smacked a hand to their forehead, before pulling back their hood.

"Well, hello Avatar. What's your name? I'm Mako."

"Mako?" Aiwa surveyed the old man intently. He would have been around one hundred years old, with a pointed chin, a wrinkled forehead, a nasty scar above his left eye, and wispy, grey hair. "Not...Korra's Mako?"

The man laughed.

"Yeah, Korra's Mako! I'm glad someone recognises me." He grinned, and Aiwa returned his smile, her fascination growing.

"You fought in the Diametric War!" Mako's smile faded a little.

"I did, yeah, but I wasn't trying to play a part."

"And you were good friends with Avatar Korra!"

"Lower your voice. I was, though, yeah. One of her best friends, actually. But what's your name?"

"Aiwa."

"And you're a firebender, yeah?"

"Well, I was born in the Fire Nation...but I can't bend. Not yet, anyway."

Mako frowned.

"That's not right. The Avatar has to master all four elements. What good are you if you can't even control one?"

"Hey, I'm trying! And it's not like I had the normal opportunities for an Avatar! For one, I had a brain tumour, and maybe that's somehow blocked my bending. I get headaches whenever I try to do anything that involves too much chi."

"Then how are you handling the Spirit World?" Suddenly, Aiwa was painfully aware of the fact that her head was still throbbing.

"I'm OK," she replied, rubbing her head, "but I could be better."

Mako's smiled faded again.

"Well, listen. You might not like this, but I need to tell you something – or rather, I need to show you something. Will you come with me?"

"Why? Where are we going?"

"To the Tree of Time. We need to access my memories." Mako's smile was completely gone now, and in its place was a serious stare that Aiwa did not like. She did, however, yearn for the truth.

"The Tree of Time...by the Northern and Southern Portals, right?"

"That's right. If we go inside the hollow, we can see and hear my memories. It's a bit like a mover, actually."

"A mover? I've seen a lot of those, and they don't really interest me –"

"You need to see this." Mako's interruption was firm, and a little scary. Aiwa began to feel cowed, and suspected it might be better to simply acquiesce.

"What do you want to show me?"

"You'll see when we get there – but it's important, and it's your duty as the Avatar to understand!" The old man's voice was cracking a little, but his sincere tone left little doubt. His intentions might not be the best, but Aiwa felt he was being honest.

"Very well. Which way –?"

"Through the ravine. Follow me." Mako turned, motioning for Aiwa to follow him, and strode into the chasm. Full of doubt and suspicion, but with growing curiosity nonetheless, Aiwa headed off after him.

* * *

"There it is. Look."

Aiwa scrambled through a final veil of vines at the ravine's exit, and found herself looking out over a rocky expanse that was bathed in bright light. The sky above had matured into reddy-pink, orange, and yellow. Great, jagged hills covered the landscape out to sides and far ahead, but directly before her and beyond a misty tumble of small rises lay stony flats. Spaced some few hundred metres apart were a pair of light spires, the right one blue and the left one orange. And directly between them, upon a bed of grey and blue rock, was a huge, twisted, ancient tree. The Tree of Time.

"Whoa..."

But Aiwa barely had a moment to gaze, for Mako had already set off towards it, and the Avatar quickly made to catch up with him.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been in the Spirit World?" she asked, now walking beside the firebender. Mako gave her a quick glance, before answering.

"Twenty years, now, I think."

"And how do you keep yourself occupied?" Mako smiled.

"I meditate, mostly. It passes the time well. Resting as pure consciousness, rather than as a suffering ego, is actually pretty great."

Aiwa made a twisted frown.

"What does that mean?"

"I doubt you'd understand. Next question."

"I thought the Spirit World could prevent aging, but you look like you've aged more. ...Sorry."

"It's OK. I choose to age, although I retain my physical strength and stamina. I'll probably die soon after I do this deed, but I'm ready for that. I have no-one left for me in the physical world, and besides..." He looked at Aiwa again. "Who even lives, anyway?"

"Another riddler, huh? My teacher's like that."

"Xue, yeah? Tenzin's grandson?"

"Yeah. He's alright, just...well, like you. He's full of phrases that seem unnecessarily complicated and confusing."

"That's just who he is. But have you met Tenzin? He's much different."

"No, I never got to. Tenzin's dead."

"No, he's not."

"What?" Aiwa stopped dead in her tracks, and Mako turned around to face her, confusion wrinkling his ancient features further. "How do you know?"

"He visits the Spirit World from time to time, most recently just a few hours ago. He's the one who told me that the Avatar might be entering the Spirit World through the Western Portal."

"So he meditates into the Spirit World, but that means his body must be in the physical world! How could he possibly be still alive? He'd be ancient!"

"I think the Preservation is keeping him alive as a source of information. He never tells me much, except for critical bits and pieces. He doesn't want the Preservation to know I'm out here. But after today, it won't matter anymore. Come on, let's keep going."

As they started walking again, Aiwa looked up at the twin spires of light, now much closer. They were enthralling to gaze upon, and Aiwa almost felt she could sense their great age, unlike the much younger Western Portal.

"I thought Tenzin couldn't enter the Spirit World?"

"Haha! For a long, long time, he couldn't. I suppose you know all about his daughter's powers and her old man's jealousy –"

"Tenzin was never jealous."

"Believe what you like, but the man has his faults. Of course, you try not to show jealousy while raising kids, but he's human, like the rest of us, and he certainly isn't perfect."

"How long's he been visiting the Spirit World for?"

"Almost ten years, now. I guess while he's been locked up, he's just learned to quiet his mind and slip away from it all..."

Aiwa caught herself seething a little. Tenzin had always been one of the good guys! Of course, Xue would ridicule her for thinking of things as a dichotomy of good and bad, but the fact remained that Tenzin had always strived for peace and balance. And now they had him locked up, probably in some dungeon where he was unable to airbend to escape, and strapped to some life-giving chi-based contraption, kept alive solely for any information he might generate, or for some other, unforeseen future use he might be of.

"Up here."

They had reached the great tree, and Mako was already climbing up towards the hollow. After a brief glance back at the bright sky, Aiwa followed him. Once at the entrance, she leapt down and landed with a dull thud upon the floor. The inside of the tree was all of gnarly, brown roots. Mako had sat down near the centre of the wide, open space, his back towards her. Aiwa sat down next to him, and looked at his face with curiosity. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be straining his attention at something. Aiwa sat still, and for a few minutes she simply waited. Then, her patience paid off.

"Here's what I want you to see," Mako spoke solemnly, opening his eyes once more. His face was devoid of any emotion, and it concerned Aiwa. But she had no time to ponder the old man's strangeness, for ethereal scenes from times gone by had begun to appear all around, accompanied by a growing cacophony of noise. There was fighting, much fighting, and great suffering because of it –

One image suddenly grew much larger than all the others, drawing them in and swallowing them, yet remaining unchanged. Aiwa watched, fascinated, as the scene began to play at a speed comparable to real life, and the sounds slowly converged to match the image.

"Watch. Watch what you did to the world."

* * *

225 AG  
Jimo Facility, Baaj Land Tract, Southern Plate, Earth Continent

The drone of aircraft was ever present, growing and fading at times, but always warning of the oncoming storm. Occasional explosions echoed around the canyon, muffled by distance, their sources out of sight. The planes themselves were occasionally visible, sweeping high over the Baaj Tract to deliver a payload, before disappearing out of sight beyond the mountainous ridges that lay in every direction. The day was hot, the sky was bright, and a thin, patchy scattering of clouds hung high in the sky. The canyon was mostly desolate and arid, the only signs of life being the smattering of cacti and the grey concrete structure built into the cliffs at the western end.

"Bro, we gotta leave now!" Mako could not have contained the urgency in his voice, even if had wanted to. "If you wanna help those refugees, then we need to get going! They'll be hit as collateral if they stay much longer –"

"I know!" Bolin yelled, furiously bundling crates of paperwork into the back of the truck. "But we can't leave this stuff behind! You know Command needs it –"

"You need to stop playing soldier! You're not a Wushi fighter, and the longer you take to come round to your senses, the less good you can do."

"Mako, I'm set on this. Now, you can either hinder me, or help me. Come on!"

"Fine! But for the record, I do not approve." Mako began to pass crates to his brother, speeding up the packing process, and Bolin mumbled something incoherent as thanks. The sounds of running drew the firebender's attention, and he looked around to see the facility guards arriving, one carrying something small in his hand. A short way behind them was Kuvira. She was loaded up with the injured guard over her back, but seemed to be coping.

"Sir, the detonator." The Wushi soldier handed Mako the metal device he had been carrying, and the latter took it solemnly.

"Everyone's out?"

"Yes sir, you can blow it."

"Well then, fire in the hole!"

Mako clicked the detonator, and the concrete facility, almost seven hundred metres away, vanished in a flash of light and cloud of debris. Chunks of rock flew in all directions, and two seconds later, the sound and the shockwave hit them.

"Alright everyone, pile in! Bolin, are you done?"

"Almost there!" Looking around the back of the truck, Mako saw that Bolin still had dozens of smaller crates to pack.

"Bro, come on! Stand back." Bolin frantically shoved one last crate into the back of the truck and slammed the doors, before stepping back. He knew the rest had to be left behind – or rather, burned to ashes. They were out of time, and Mako torched the remaining crates with intense heat.

Kuvira had taken the wheel, and once Mako and Bolin had jumped into the back with the guards, she turned the keys, revved the engine, slammed the accelerator, and the armoured vehicle took off.

Standing in balance in the back of the truck, Mako peered through one of the small windows that lined the walls. Smoke was now filling the sky to the east, though the planes had ceased their attacks. The Jishu had stepped up their play for air superiority, and their new fighters had speed beyond speed. Their bombers could pack a punch, too, although you barely ever saw them, as they flew far higher than anything else, engaging in missions of indiscriminate terror strikes.

"Speed it up, Kuvira! The land assault must be starting. The planes are –"

"I know!" the metalbender replied harshly, as they turned out of the canyon and into the open.

The Baaj Land Tract was mostly arid, but for a few small oases here and there. The ground sloped gently up on either side to high mountains. The Western Delta flowed through Gaoling, sustaining the great Wushi city, and it was here that the Jishu would likely strike next, if they could take the Tract.

Three light tanks that had been hidden under a rocky overpass started up ahead of the armoured vehicle, and had matched its speed by the time Kuvira caught up to them. Mako hoped desperately that the escort would prove unnecessary...

"Sir," spoke one of the soldiers worriedly, "Jishu tanks coming from the east, but we should outrun them."

"Then what's the bad news?" Mako asked. He could sense the soldier's fear.

"Something's tearing up the first line of the defences – or what was left of it after the Jishu bombs – and they think it might be..." The guard swallowed, and although Mako could not see the woman's face behind her visor, he knew exactly what expression had crossed it.

"Him."

The word now carried more meaning and weight than Mako had thought possible.

"Blast, we gotta get to the next line! How far is it?"

"Not far!" replied Kuvira, glancing at her map. "Not more than fifty."

"How did they hit the first line so hard?" asked Bolin, his face wrinkled with stress.

"Same as what they hit the Archipelago with," replied the Wushi radiowoman. "Their cannons have the range, and when the weather's fair, they can get real accurate –"

"I hope our boys in the subs give them a beatin'!" piped up one of the younger guards, sporting a mean grin. "That's somethin' they can't see comin' –" But he was cut off by another soldier.

"Look! That's the last of Fifth!"

Everyone scrambled to the right-hand windows, and Mako saw several dozen heavy tanks and another half dozen lighter vehicles tearing west. The dust cloud in their wake was immense.

"They were supposed to be behind the second line by now!" Bolin promptly took the radio from the Wushi woman, and clasped it to his ear.

"Fifth Baaj Armour, this is Bolin of HR International. What are you doing still in front of the line?" His voice was filled with fear, and Mako knew that his brother was still a soldier at heart. His career had taken him to perform important refugee protection missions for Human Rights International, but he still desired to do more for the people displaced by the war, to fight for their protection when words failed. And words had most certainly failed here, for the Jishu knew full well that much of the Baaj Tract had not yet been evacuated. Of course, the Wushi had...enhanced the truth, but that didn't matter. Solid intel was being fed to the Jishu High Command by their spies, so they must know –

"What's that? Look behind!" Now everyone crashed to the back of the truck to peer out the rear windows. Mako saw a small group of dark shapes, almost on the horizon, and growing steadily larger and larger, getting closer and closer. As he watched, the blurs moved into focus, and revealed themselves to be no less than fourteen large aeroplanes, at least cargo class.

"What are they up to?" Wondered Mako aloud. If they flew any closer to the second line, they would be shot out of the air by the rocket batteries and blast cannons entrenched in the Central Rift of the Baaj Tract.

For a few more seconds, the jets held their course, blasting up immense clouds of dust in their wake. Then, they soared off, high and to the south. Mako peered into the sandstorm left behind...

The dust was illuminated by a brief flash, followed by another, and another, and streaks of light shot out, across the plains and into the retreating Fifth Armour. Clouds of stone and sand were blasted into the air, and a Wushi heavy tank exploded catastrophically, spraying twisted metal and flaming oil out in all directions. The smoking husk was quickly left behind by the retreating Fifth, which had evidently decided to hold course and fire back at their pursuers.

"What was that? Did they just drop tanks from cargo jets? What on Earth –"

As the dust cloud cleared a little, the Jishu attackers fired again. A core of four heavy tanks with unusually long main cannons was flanked by eight lighter tanks, which were holding back a little in the dust of the larger vehicles. The long cannons flashed brightly, and the bolts of light streaked across down the Tract to smash into the remnants of the Fifth, far more accurate this time. Whatever those weapons were, they were devastating, for three Wushi tanks were blasted into steel shrapnel, and a fourth was flipped over onto its top with the force of the shot. The Wushi guards in the truck snarled, and Mako could see tears sliding down the face of the youngest soldier.

"Blast!" Bolin spoke angrily, smashing a solid fist into the wall. "What's this new magic –?"

A fireball of intense heat crashed down just ahead of the armoured group. The three tanks moved through unscathed, but the armoured vehicle was rocked about dangerously. Kuvira shouted, struggling to control the vehicle, but it skittered on glassed sand and hit a sharp rock.

"Hang on to some–!" Mako began to yell, but was cut off as the truck rolled onto its right, throwing him around like a beanbag. Most of the Wushi soldiers had grabbed onto the hard seats and avoided the worst of the crash, but when Mako picked himself groggily up from the wall of the truck, blood trickled into his eye.

Someone smashed the rear door open, though not without substantial effort, and the group staggered out onto the hot dirt. As Mako tore off a sleeve of his shirt and wound it around his injured forehead, one of the soldiers shouted.

The Sun was glowing in the sky, but out of the brightness, another figure emerged, small and humanoid. The hostile soldier landed hard on the slopes up to the left, and tore up the ground from underneath the nearest escort tank. As the turrets of the other two traversed to target their attacker, the figure leapt high over the three vehicles, landing on a rocky outcrop on their other side and dragging the earth with him. Two of the tanks were completely buried in the deluge of soft sand and hard stone.

"It's him!" yelled Bolin, charging forward with reckless determination. Pure anger spewed out to find embodiment in the old peacekeeper, and even Mako flinched slightly at his brother's fury.

The dark figure disappeared out of sight on the other side of the remaining tank, now stuck with sand clogging its treads, and Mako instinctively dived to one side, while Bolin, now ten metres ahead, dropped himself into a hole in the ground. The tank received a terrific blast, and fifty tonnes of metal became several million joules of kinetic energy. The flying tank smashed into the overturned armoured car, and an anguished scream from the two still trapped inside was heard for a split second before being silenced by the seeping of life from broken bodies. Both vehicles continued to slide for at least twenty metres before crashing into another large outcrop, which toppled onto the wreckage, half burying them.

Mako, Bolin, and the remaining Wushi soldiers, three older men who had not fled for their lives, stood to face their attacker. Although now into their seventies, the brothers were a powerful pair of benders, and the skills of the Wushi guards were not to be snivelled at, either. Their foe, however, had a reputation so brutal that it sent a shiver down the spine of the hardened bodyguard.

The figure stepped forward. He was wearing an armoured suit with the white and blue curls of the Jishu emblem upon its shoulder, and the visor was down. On the helmet, however, three streaks of white ran from above the eyes back over the head. Two separated out and onto the arms, ending just above the hands, while the other came around from the back and ran down the legs, ending above the feet. The suit was painted a dark grey, and the white patterns stood out greatly, almost looking like they were glowing...

Bolin straightened up, as the figure took a step forward.

"You're going down."

"No. It is you who are going down." The responding voice was muffled, but Mako recognised it nonetheless. Bolin, however, did not see the need for any more words.

As quick as a flash, the burly bender tore a dozen chunks of stone from the ground around him and halted briefly to wait for a response. When none came, he sent the stones spinning from all angles at his opponent. Mako shifted left, waiting for an opening, and the three Wushi soldiers moved in unison around to the right.

"I'm Avatar Junto, and you're all going to die." The voice was so dire it was almost comical, but the situation prevented any laughter. Within moments, what the man had said could be true.

Responding with ferocious speed, the Avatar ducked and stepped to avoid every one of Bolin's stones, before propelling himself suddenly forwards and straight towards Bolin. The latter raised a thick wall of earth, turning it rapidly to scorching lava, but the Avatar smashed straight through it and leapt up and over Bolin's head, past his defences. As he spun in the air, Mako lashed out with rapid fireballs. Junto's flaming strike at Bolin was weakened as he was forced to absorb Mako's attack. As he landed on the ground, sliding backwards a little, a large chunk of metal flew at the Avatar from behind, as Mako, Bolin, and the Wushi soldiers all attacked. Kuvira's strike was ducked and Bolin's cascade of lava was solidified with a blast of air that pushed the earthbender back several metres. The soldiers' stones were easily avoided, as Junto had bent over backwards to duck the metal plate and force the air behind him. Then, off one foot, he leapt over the fireballs and landed swinging. One, and then two of the Wushi soldiers were smashed by fast, flying boulders, and the third was stabbed through the chest with an icicle formed out of thin air.

"We're on a peaceful mission!" screamed Mako, dimly aware that his plea for a ceasefire was pure insanity in the moment. As expected, no one noticed.

Although injured in the crash, Kuvira was as skilled as ever. The HRI peacekeeper tore several more chunks of metal off the sides of the now smoking vehicles and liquefied them, holding them around her head into the traditional, balanced stance. But Junto's focus had shifted back to Bolin, and with a series of quick strikes and deft footwork, he dodged the earthbender's sharp stones and sent them right back at the defending brother. As Bolin faltered, struggling to block all of the attacks, Mako stepped in, cool under fire, fists swinging. The Avatar performed a twist of agility that didn't seem quite possible for a human, let alone one wearing armour like his, and let off an unexpected blast of air in completely the opposite direction: Kuvira was hit, and flipped head over heels, before scraping along in the dirt to land at least twenty metres away.

"We're trying to do good!" shouted Mako, now still attacking even while he spoke.

"I'll be the judge of that," replied the Avatar coldly, before rippling the air around him. With a brief spasm of air currents, Junto stepped forwards by five metres with only one stride, and Mako's fireballs seemed to pass right through his blurred form. Bolin came in swinging, but the Avatar's speed was too great, and he stepped lightly around Mako's side. As the firebender brought a powerful fire fist down at his foe, Junto landed a punch that cracked ribs and winded Mako massively. It wasn't even intended to block chi, just to cripple with an iron fist.

Mako gasped, staggering backwards, but Bolin took advantage of his brother's fall to send an unexpected spear of stone between Mako's legs. It smashed straight into Junto's chest, and the Avatar staggered backwards, shaken but uninjured. Then, the close combat began.

His limbs wrapped in rock, Bolin stepped forwards to take his fallen brother's place. Junto held his ground, and the fighting that then took place was ferocious. Quick swings, shattering stone, grinding and bending steel, deft ducks and dodges, and the occasional slash of lava. The bending brother, however, could not best his foe, and after ten seconds he was shoved backwards, before tripping on a stone and crashing onto his back with a groan, his fists bloodied and his jaw broken.

Kuvira was back in the fight, and suddenly the Avatar was smashing aside shards of sharp metal. Several slashed his armour, leaving deep grooves, but every one strike he ignored allowed him to respond with two. Evading a fireball, then a water whip out of thin air, Kuvira found herself being pushed back. In desperation, she tore the whole roof off the armoured car, placing it between herself and Junto. But the Avatar was too strong, and he leapt into the air and delivered a massive blast of air with both legs. The metal plate slammed straight back into Kuvira, and she was knocked clean unconscious with the force of the impact.

The fight was over.

Mako groaned with pain. A little blood was reddening his side, but most of the damage was minor, albeit internal. Bolin was breathing heavily, his mouth agape and his eyes staring into space. Kuvira lay completely still, some way off. And Avatar Junto doubled up with his hands on his legs, his armour bent and scorched in places. The damage was superficial: he was unharmed.

"If I admit one thing, it's that you boys gave me the toughest fight I've had in years." Junto straightened back up, before walking over to the wrecked truck and climbing inside.

The heat of the Sun scorched Mako's face. He could hear the sound of distant explosions, and the planes were droning again. Dazed, he turned to look at Bolin.

"B-Bro..." he croaked, and received grunt in response. "You'll be alright."

"I'll 'e alrigh'," Bolin responded without moving his jaw.

The sound of the Avatar's voice drew Mako's attention once more. Raising his head with great effort, he listened to Junto's call on the radio, making out a few words here and there.

"Targets...map coordinates...proceed with...I repeat..." Wait, was he reading from Kuvira's map?

"No!" Mako rasped as loudly as possible. "Stop!" Junto emerged once more from the back of the truck.

"What is it? Stop? You do realise what I'm doing?" His voice was tainted with arrogance.

"You're killing innocents! Call off the strike!"

"I'm helping a morally positive force crush the regressive Wushi! How is that killing innocents?"

"What do you know of morals? Look at the map!" Junto held up the map, and Mako's heart flipped over with terror, for the Avatar had punched holes in the two key locations on it. One was the Central Rift fortified line, and the other was...

"That's a refugee camp!"

Junto was silent for a few moments.

"A necessary evil for a greater good." His response brought tears to the aged firebender's eyes. How had Korra been reborn into...this?

"Do you even know what you're doing? Stop! They don't need to die! Just stop..." Mako's voice faded with his hope, and Junto looked down at him. Mako could not see his expression behind the visor.

"A short term sacrifice for a long term gain. I don't know that you're telling the truth, so logic dictates that I destroy both targets, just to be sure. The world stands to lose a few hundred unlucky humans who probably wouldn't have lived worthwhile lives anyway, and stands to gain an increased probability of Jishu supremacy in the future – a very good thing. So _don't_ –" The Avatar jabbed his finger down at Mako "– lecture me about morals!" His voice was a grinding anger, and Mako simply closed his eyes.

The sound of roaring flames told the firebender that the Avatar had taken to the sky again in search of new targets. An awful dread began to creep slowly through Mako, as he lay there in the hot sand. The future, it seemed, held nothing but cold pain and suffering.

* * *

"Do you see? This is your inheritance."

Aiwa wrenched her attention away from the image, which had begun to fade, and realised that Mako was no longer sitting next to her. Twisting around, still seated, she saw him standing at the entrance to the hollow, silhouetted against the sky. He motioned for her to follow.

"Wait, slow down!" Aiwa called out, as Mako leapt down and out of sight. Jumping up, the Avatar dashed after him, her mind racing. The scenes from Mako's past were still fresh in her memory, and felt as though she was only just beginning to realise what it all meant on a much deeper level. However, one thing stood out above all else: Junto's brutality, his ruthless lack of empathy, and his cold justification for his own actions.

The old firebender had already leapt down to the ground, and was standing on the blue stone, looking back up at her. Aiwa climbed down after him, questions flying around haphazard in her mind.

"What do you mean, 'this is my inheritance'?" She spoke upon reaching him, jaw clenched. She was greatly agitated, as Mako's demeanour had now taken a greatly different form. The lines on his face appeared now to be set in stone, his stare was without joy, and his stance was threatening.

"You're the Avatar. It's your duty to restore balance to the world. Junto was the Avatar, and the Light Spirit that was once his lives on in you. That man brought so much suffering to the world, and his contribution to throwing it out of balance was greater than any other individual's."

"So what? I'm not Junto! I might be the Avatar, and believe me when I say that I'll do my very best to repair the damage he did, and more – but I'm not responsible in any way for his actions."

"It is your responsibility to put right everything that he did!"

Mako's voice was rising, and Aiwa could now sense great anger and hatred within the old man. He was irrational, spurred on by something so deep and powerful it had removed his ability to accept her good intentions.

"Avatar Korra changed the world more in a few years than most Avatar's did in their entire lives – and her successor undid all of her good work, and brought so much imbalance with the havoc he wrought, the lives he destroyed, and the cold justification that he carried with him the whole way! And now, all this, everything that he did, is your karma. A karma of fire."

Words failed Aiwa. She looked upon the enraged firebender with pity and fear. His stare was almost too intense to handle.

"I'm...I'm going to do the best I can –"

"That's not good enough! You'd need to do more – more than is possible!"

"No, she doesn't."

Aiwa jumped with fright, for the voice that had spoken was not Mako's. Turning to look behind her, she saw another man clambering down off the rocky base of the Tree of Time. He was wearing loose robes in the colours of the old Earth Continent citizens, and his head was bald, but for a single pony-tail flowing down over his back. He was not short, but quite thick-set, although his overall appearance was not one of a huge man. His face was round and tough, his gaze was intense, and it was directed straight at Mako.

"Gano," Mako spat, "you thug. What are you doing here?"

"Cut the shit, Mako, and leave the Avatar well alone." The man turned to look at Aiwa, and although his expression had softened a little, the Avatar was still a little intimidated. "Don't listen to him, Avatar. You forge your own path, create your own destiny. You're not tied to Junto –"

"She is! Aiwa, this man was what you would call a friend to Junto, during the Avatar's life. You can't trust him! He's just as violent, just as ignorant –"

"On the contrary, you're the one whose biases are getting in the way."

"My judgement is unclouded, you thug." Mako clenched his fists, and Gano smiled.

"So sweet, and genteel of you," the burly man spoke, before turning back to Aiwa. "Aiwa, I know you don't know me, but I have good reason for saying this: you can't take this man seriously."

"I told you, I'm driven only be –"

"Shut up!" Gano roared. "Let her know the truth! You're the one who's so high and mighty about that, so why hold anything back? Aiwa, listen to me. Mako hated Junto, and would see him dead a thousand times over, for one, simple reason: Junto killed his brother."

Aiwa turned to look at Mako.

"I'm so sorry," she blurted out, a sudden surge of sympathy wiping away everything else.

"No! Don't be sorry for him! For a start, Bolin was on the wrong side –"

"He was my brother, and his intentions were nothing but good –"

"That doesn't make him in the right –!" Gano bellowed, but Mako cut right over him.

"– And faith in your own, righteous path doesn't mean you can just kill whoever you please!"

"Clearly, Junto believed otherwise." Aiwa had spoken, and although the two men had been yelling at one another, they both heard her voice, and ceased their shouting. "Look, Mako, Junto did some terrible things! No one can deny that. And I'm sorry for your brother, I really am. Gano, whoever you are, you can't defend Junto for what he did. I'm on Mako's side when he says that killing people just because they disagree with you is wrong –"

"And, Avatar, I agree with you, with that principle! But Junto wasn't just killing because people disagreed with him. The world is so much more complicated than that."

"Avatar Korra learned that the best approach is the nonviolent one," Mako spoke, his teeth bared.

"And when that approach fails, when you find that words no longer have any effect, what then? The Wushi would have contributed to a global regression of mankind, had they come to power in the Earth Continent. You can try to deny that, but reality doesn't, and neither did Junto. Some men cannot be reasoned with. I'm not condoning all of Junto's actions, and I think he was wrong to turn to violence so quickly, and on so many occasions, but you hate him unfairly because of what he took away from you, personally –" Gano stabbed a finger at Mako "– and you ignore all the good he ultimately did for the world."

"He caused the Winter! I hate him, I'll admit that, but there's good reason for it."

"He did not cause the Winter, the Red Lotus was ultimately responsible for that."

"You're wrong. Those rebels only gained so much power because people the world over were fed up with the oppressive violence of nations destroying each other, and a callous Avatar who didn't give a damn about balance or protecting the weak!"

"Junto was fighting for balance, I can assure you of that. I knew him personally, and if you can believe words from the man's mouth, then you can believe that."

"Then his concept of balance was wrong!"

"Says you."

Gano's face was twisted into an ugly snarl, and Aiwa began to back away slowly. The tension that had begun to grow was now immense. Aiwa was only vaguely aware that the sky above had darkened substantially, and a growing number of spirits were forming a wide circle around the three humans.

"Neither of us will concede that the others' charge of bias, from matters of past connections, is affecting our present judgements on the Avatar's moral responsibility."

"Then I think we're at an impasse," spoke Mako grimly, unclasping his cloak.

"No, we are at an end." Gano shifted back into a fighting stance, slamming his front foot to the ground. "Get away from him, Aiwa. This man's lunacy is not for you."

Aiwa turned to Mako. The latter gave her a brief look of sadness and awful finality, before letting his cloak fall away from his shoulders.

"I've done my job. I've shown you what you needed to see, and now my part in all this comes to an end. You should go, Aiwa."

"I'm going to make sure you don't further poison the Avatar's mind, even if I pay the ultimate price." Gano's voice was now rough and grating, and Mako raised his hands and clenched his fists.

Aiwa suddenly noticed that many of the spirits in the surrounding throng were slowly changing. From their peaceful, lightly coloured forms, they were darkening and morphing gradually into hideous beasts. Fear gripped Aiwa, and she turned back to the two would-be combatants, now staring each other down.

"Please, we need to get out of here. You can solve this in the physical world, and no one has to get hurt!" But she already knew that her words were futile. This situation could have but one ending.

"Goodbye, Aiwa," spoke Mako, and he thrust forwards, flames roaring from a powerful right hook.

"Get out of here, Avatar," Gano snarled, before raising a large rock to block the blast of fire, and smashing it towards his opponent. Aiwa began to back away slowly, staring at the men in sadness and guilt. She might have prevented this...

But perhaps the shackles of the past bound these men together so tightly that nothing but spilt blood could end their conflict. Aiwa didn't understand – there was always so much more to understand! But then, this grudge they shared had roots in an era now past. There was nothing she could do.

A huge, sailing stone was sidestepped and the response was more fire. Waves of earth crashed down upon bare ground, before the two enemies finally landed simultaneous blows. Knocked to the ground and winded, the fighting abated, but only for a moment. Within seconds, they were up and charging forwards once more in a duel that could only now end in death.

Backing away, Aiwa was now only a few metres from some of the largest spirits. She stared up at one fearsome giant, a strange beast with six limbs and a great, floppy tongue. However, as she watched, the spirit morphed and darkened in colour. Its body became deep blue, translucent, its claws grew longer and its tongue lengthened, becoming pronged and sharp at the end. It swished backwards and forwards, lashing the ground, and the beast growled fiercely. Glancing over her shoulder, Aiwa could see that the two men were fighting to the death, and that the spirits would ensure that it ended that way. But the ethereal beings, however angry, did not seem to notice her.

Once she had moved slowly through the throng of spirits, Aiwa looked back to see that they had encircled the tree of time, and that the embattled benders were no longer visible. A blast of fire licked upwards, shooting hundreds of feet into the air, and the spirits began to scream and roar. Then, they charged.

All of a sudden, Aiwa was hit by a splitting headache. It felt as though the world were crushing her skull from the outside, as if every molecule and atom, and every iota of spiritual energy had turned all their combined purpose to the goal of causing her as much suffering as possible.

Aiwa began to run. She had to get away, to get out of the Spirit World. There, ahead of her, was a bright light – one of the Spirit Portals. Frantically seeking an end to the pain, Aiwa made for the Portal, not knowing where it would take her. Something else had begun to grow with the pain, a kind of fear that did not admit of any rational explanation. Then something flashed in front of her gaze – the white orbs, full of a fury that did not belong to her.

Clutching at her head, gasping and wincing with the agony of carrying whatever wound it was inside of her, physical or spiritual, Aiwa staggered into the Portal. Behind her, the cacophony of angry spirits was climaxing, and the Tree of Time was obscured in dust. The sky had turned a dark grey, stained with splashes of blood red from the light of conflict, rage, and pain.


	6. Chapter Five: Aiwa Alone, Part One

Chapter Five: Aiwa Alone, Part 1: Discovery of the Self  
256 AG, Deep Winter  
End of the Earth

* * *

Aiwa lay in the snow, almost paralysed, the extreme cold eating into her flesh. Around her stood ancient trees dripping with icicles, and the air was clear and still. Aiwa felt her consciousness ebbing away, like a tiny island of warmth sinking into an infinite ocean of cold.

" _A short term sacrifice for a long term gain..._ "

 _"Probably wouldn't have lived worthwhile lives anyway..._ "

" _That is your karma: a karma of fire..._ "

" _Then it seems we are at an impasse..._ "

" _No. We are at an end._ "

Aiwa's mind was beginning to race frantically. She did not want to die, but what could she do? She managed to direct her remaining energy into her right arm, and lifted it to touch the Spirit Portal. As she was in contact with the otherworldly energy, something seemed to flow down her arm. Not warmth...but something.

" _The breath becomes energy in the body..._ "

Aiwa forced down a deep gulp of air, and felt her innards warm slightly - the frigid air was somehow heating up within her, granting her energy - and life!

Aiwa breathed again and again and again, consciously, forcefully, still touching the portal. As the heat increased, Aiwa directed the energy throughout the body, focussing her breathing and attention on her limbs, one by one. Now greatly warmed, she rose slowly to her feet. Retracting her outstretched arm, she continued to breathe, and was delighted to find her energy still increasing. Then, something wonderful occurred to her.

" _The energy extends past your limbs…_ "

Aiwa took her stance, and thrust forward.

" _And becomes fire!_ "

The whole clearing was bathed in crimson light, as fire plumed out from her palm, rolling and tumbling and heating her greatly. It quickly dissipated into the cold, leaving a patch of slush before her that quickly began to freeze again.

"A karma of fire," Aiwa spoke aloud, proclaiming her inheritance to the universe. "Mako was right. Junto's rage and blood are my karma. As the Avatar, I must live with this in mind. It can guide me, teaching me the path I must –"

All of a sudden, she felt incredibly stupid. Here she was, stranded in the cold at the end of the Earth, and she was talking to her herself.

"Aiwa, what are you going to do next?"

Now that she could produce her own fire, travelling somewhere seemed like the most sensible thing to do. While part of her saw this plan as pure insanity, her dread of that splitting pain she experienced in the Spirit World was overwhelming. And she knew next to nothing about navigating in that other realm… Besides, the cold was no longer an issue, there would be plenty to drink, and if she could find any old settlements, there might just be stores of preserved food. And as long as she stayed on a path that saw the Portal always behind her, she would find the sea ice eventually, and work out which hemisphere she was in.

It was a desperate plan. But it was still preferable to the terror that flashed before her every time she touched a portal.

* * *

" _Why would you risk going back? Braving the cold is far better than the terror of the Spirit World!_

 _If you can't find shelter and warmth when you need to sleep, then you'll die out here._

 _Death might be better than the terrible rupturing of consciousness that the Spirit World causes me._

Aiwa strode ever on, breathing deeply. The cold no longer worried her, as the fire kept her warm now, and the snow drifts provided ample water. It was dark, and became much darker as the Portal grew ever more distant behind her, but the fire in her hands was the guide. But what about when she needed to sleep? She would freeze and die without even knowing it, and this scared her, though not as much as one might think.

 _While conscious, I'd be warm, and once asleep, it'd be painless..._

As she walked, Aiwa's mind wandered, too. She thought of the state of the world, of the millions of men, women and children who had died in the volcanic winter, and of the few who lived on in the Silent Fortress. She thought of the Preservation, with its secretive ways and its philosophy of hiding the truth, especially regarding its own history. She thought of Junto, of the scarce few facts she knew about him, and of how both he and Avatar Korra before him had died so young...too young. Would she be next? Would she perish out here, in the cold and the dark, swallowed by the universe, never to see the light of day again? Then it occurred to her – the darkness that engulfed her was lasting for hour after hour, far longer than the daily cycle, so she was in the winter hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere.

It didn't matter.

 _Why not give up? The sooner I die, the sooner the Avatar will be reborn, and the sooner the Preservation will be able to use the Avatar's powers to bring an end to the Winter and to all the suffering of mankind..._

 _Grow up and get over yourself, you wimp! You're as good as anyone, you just need to push yourself harder. And now that you have firebending, the other elements will surely be close behind._

Aiwa thought of the Diametric War, that conflict which had been so crucial in placing the fate of the world in the hands of the corrupt remnants of the White Lotus. With so many young men and women witnessing the destructive, ideologically-driven battles between the Jishu and the Wushi, the ranks of that once great Order had swelled with the dissatisfied, and not even repeated culling at the hands of Avatar Junto had kept them suppressed. If anything, the apparent ease of mind with which he had spilled blood had only worked against his good intentions, creating more martyrs and a greater drive to join the one organisation that had advertised freedom from the tyranny of the great, evil states and the Avatar who enabled them. Of course, the Preservation's cautious and calculated rise to power had extinguished the threat of the Order…right?

Eventually, Aiwa found an old settlement. The clouds were low and thick across the ridge as Aiwa stood atop the icy outcrop, staring down at the ruins of the hamlet. Bulky, stone structures were visible beneath the snow, though many of them had suffered serious structural damage. Aiwa made her way down the hill and into the little village, poking around here and there. A few of the buildings contained frosty paraphernalia from lives gone by, items that had once been cherished by families. The Winter had taken so much from so many...

One building, clearly a general store of some kind, had given in under a mountain of snow, but Aiwa managed to melt her way inside to find cans of –

Aiwa received quite a shock to stumble across a corpse. The body had been efficiently preserved in extreme cold, but the flesh and clothing had still rotted somewhat. The poor man had been crushed by falling rocks, meaning he had been sheltering inside the building when the roof had collapsed. Aiwa quickly made her way to another structure, and hid inside, all the while breathing to warm herself and tearing open the old cans of food. Some were still good.

Keeping track of which way she had come from, Aiwa set off again after a little while. The hours were blurring together, and although Aiwa was certain she had been walking for at least two days, she could not be sure exactly how long it had been. Thankfully, the winds, which posed the greatest threat to her survival, were not strong. The South Pole in winter was still.

As she walked, Aiwa began to sense strange things. At first she thought she was going mad, but over time, the shapes and sounds, right on the edge of her consciousness, became strangely discernible. At one point, Aiwa climbed to the top of a rocky knoll and stood with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. The sensations were slightly dulled, and when she opened her eyes again, they increased in strength. She could perceive definite tracks and trails, weaving their way through reality. When Aiwa looked over her shoulder in the direction she had come, the sense was much stronger. The Southern Spirit Portal lay there, and although its light had long ago vanished into the dense fog that pervaded the air above her, Aiwa could still...see it, if 'seeing' were even the right way to describe the sensation.

Then, Aiwa reached the ice. It was definitely the ocean, for it stretched on ahead to the horizon, and although broken and jagged in places, it was frozen solid and quite flat. Great cracking sounds echoed through the mists from time to time, a strange way to break the silence she had grown used to. The crunching of her boots on the snow and the faint blowing of occasional breezes had been her only companions until now.

Aiwa began to walk once more.

By now, many days had passed. Aiwa did not know if she had slept, for her mind was as clouded as the skies above her. She had certainly lain down upon bare rock on a number of occasions, not out of raw, physical exhaustion so much as a desperate need to relax her whole form, as though she were undergoing some powerful change. And the headaches had returned a few hours ago, mild at first, but with increasing severity as time had passed. All the while, Aiwa had continued to breathe, and the will to heat her body had become an unconsciously driven necessity. Yes, she had slept – several times, in fact. It was as though touching the Spirit Portal had changed something fundamental within her being. And now the energy driving this change was coursing through her veins, powering her to walk ever onwards. To survive.

Now standing upon the ice, Aiwa felt the wind. She had no idea how far she had ventured from the South Pole, spurred on by a force that had never been present in her body before, and a determination that was almost not her own.

 _I'll show Xue,_ she thought viciously, _I'll show them all. The liars, the fakers, hiding the truth! There's so much more than they're telling me…than they'll ever tell me! There has to be!_

As the kilometers marched by, Aiwa found herself becoming angrier and angrier. Then she was running. The wind had picked up, but the force with which it drove at her was matched by her ferocious fire. Aiwa lashed with her flames, blasting aside great shards of sea ice and melting so much of the frozen floor around her that the cracks began in earnest. But when the solid sea began to give way and rock under her weight, the Avatar simply leapt onwards, leaving the cracked ice to rapidly re-freeze behind her.

Then, the first time the darkness was peeled away by a glimmer of natural light, Aiwa found herself staring around at immense, dark shapes ahead of her. The fear mounted, but Aiwa drew a deep breath, grasped the chi with all her might, and blasted a great plume of fire into the sky, pushing back the fog and illuminating the area for at least a kilometer all around.

Ships. Immense, bulky, steel vessels. They were both grasped firmly by the ice and stuck down deep within it. Some had been pushed onto their sides, and others had been sheared into by the force of freezing currents.

 _Better not go aboard..._ Aiwa smirked to herself. _Could be booby traps._

But then, even as she continued to walk forwards towards the fading light, Aiwa pondered the ruined vessels around her. Some way off to the east, a low landmass could be seen, and even further into the now sparse fog, another island towered up steeply.

 _Of course, I'm far below the old sea level. These ships are near the sea floor, and so am I. Was this...the Southern Water Nation's navy?_

Clearly, it was. A shredded flag on one of the vessels indicated as much, and then Aiwa noticed the Southerners' symbol on the side of a smaller vessel that had been pushed almost entirely out of the ice. Aiwa was surprised the ship was balancing!

Then, Aiwa saw the battle damage. The ship had been almost cut in half, for the powerful explosion that had struck its middle had torn out the metal innards. It would have sunk incredibly quickly.

Strangely, the ship was a beacon of spiritual energy. Staring at the hole in its hull, Aiwa drank in the echoes of raw power that emanated from the chi fields around the blasted vessel.

Suddenly, Aiwa was struck with an alien terror. War, it seemed was inevitable. Peace would always yield to the thirst for power that existed within the heart of every man and woman, and would always rear its head. Through all eternity, the thirst, the suffering would prevail.

 _If we ever survive all of this,_ Aiwa thought grimly, focussing her attention on the whole of humanity in her mind, _I'll be an Avatar for peace. This can't happen again. This senseless waste of human life._

 _But some men cannot be reasoned with._

 _That's so very like Xue. You would think that._

 _Of course_ _–_ _he's your teacher._

On and on Aiwa trudged. Only now, as the winds began to batter her with great strength, did the physical weariness set in. Aiwa was struggling to keep herself warm, and although the fog in her mind had begun to clear, she was becoming acutely aware and afraid of the mortal danger she was in.

There was an island. It was only small, but it would do. Endless sea ice lay in every other direction. The vessels of past battles were far beyond the horizon behind her, and the clouds were much higher now. The winds began to pick up in earnest, attacking her with a vicious cold that seemed almost sentient.

Reaching the small island, Aiwa was struggling to hold her own against the gale that grew ever stronger. The intensity of this snowstorm would wipe her out, and it was imperative that she find shelter. A ragged, metal signpost by an ancient, stone wharf had letters carved into it: _Tailbone Atoll_.

"I know where I am!" cried Aiwa, though it did not do her any good to know. She was so far from anywhere...

She clambered up the steep, icy path that lead further into the small island. The ragged remnants of once-living grasses poked out of the grey sand to either side of her, and even as she watched, some of it was ripped from roots and blown into oblivion by the howling gale.

Aiwa stumbled into an open area that was sunk into the centre of the atoll, and the winds were less chilling down here, though still quite strong. Frantically seeking shelter, Aiwa charged at the nearest structure, an ancient, bulky stone building with an old engraving that was no longer legible. A large stone was blocking access to the building, and Aiwa blasted it with fire to remove the ice casing, before pushing it inwards. The great stone crashed violently to the ground.

Gasping in the frigid air, Aiwa staggered through the entrance and into the cold, but still darkness within.


	7. Chapter Six: Aiwa Alone, Part Two

Chapter Six: Aiwa Alone, Part 2: Destruction of the Self  
256 AG, Late Winter  
Silaluk Structures, Tailbone Atoll, Daichi Sea, Far Southern Hemisphere

* * *

Aiwa hurried through the entrance to the building and into the darkness, eager to escape the growing snowstorm outside. Bringing to life a flame in her hands, she began to warm herself, and as her senses calmed, her curiosity piqued. Aiwa gave the light a little more strength –

– And jumped with a horrible fright. At least a dozen human figures sat, evenly spaced, on the cold, stone floor, facing her – no, facing the doorway. They all shared the same posture and clothing: crossed legs, palms face up on their knees, straight backed, and wearing simple, grey and white robes, almost like a uniform. Some were of greater breadth and stature, some of lesser. But then Aiwa looked at their faces…

They were a mixture of men and women. All eyes were closed, and their skin was grey-brown. They might have been dead...except for the smiles. It was the smiling that had first filled Aiwa with terror, a response she now saw as natural, given the strange, unknown nature of everything before her. But the smiles were nothing but empty bliss.

"W-What are you...?" Aiwa shivered, walking slowly forwards and kneeling down before one of the figures, a young woman, beautiful of face and form. Aiwa reached out to touch her face – and recoiled with surprise when she found it to be warm. But something else had touched her, too...

"Her chi is strong," Aiwa murmured, before seating herself properly, closing her eyes and relaxing into the perception of the chi field all around. "Strong with all of them…"

Aiwa leapt up suddenly, shouting in pain. Her head had given a sharp throb, and the white that had flashed before her eyes had been unmistakable. The otherworldly anger that accompanied the strobing before her eyes somehow contained an identity. She could feel him. She could feel the fury of the previous Avatar…

"What do you want?" she cried out to the darkness, before remembering that she was not alone. Quickly reigniting her flame, her heart bashing against her chest in terror, she shone it bright. Nothing had changed, nothing had stirred, no one had moved. Aiwa breathed a sigh of relief, although her heart was still racing. Her curiosity, however, continued to grow.

A sudden rustling made Aiwa jump slightly, but the cold air that washed over her face allayed her fears. The pages of an old book that lay in front of the figures closest to the door had fluttered in a sudden gust. Aiwa quickly went and closed the heavy, stone door, before turning back to the living statues in the room. She was still scared, but now her fear of the unknown had lessened. They weren't going anywhere, and neither was she, not while the blizzard persisted.

Walking over to the lead figure, an older man with ugly facial hair and a bony jaw, Aiwa carefully picked up the old book with her free hand, ensuring that no pages fell out. But there was no danger of that, for the tome was in strangely good condition for something which had to have been there for...well, up to two decades.

Aiwa went and seated herself beside the young woman she had touched, giving the still figure a smile.

"What's all this about, then?" she murmured. "Is your secret held within these pages?" And with these words, she crossed her legs, and began to read.

* * *

"...I'm telling you, medically, she's completely fine!"

"She's been out in the cold for over a week! Aiwa? Aiwa, can you hear me?"

"Tathata."

"What?"

"Tathata."

"What does that mean?"

"Everything and nothing. Life and death and silence. It is and is not. It means everything and it means nothing. Everything and nothing..."

"I'm telling you, she's sick! Just listen to her..."

* * *

Aiwa was sitting up in bed, eating soup. She had been in the care of the Central Medical Centre staff for almost a week now, and the experience was beginning to bore her. She was being fed and monitored and taken care of in every way, and had ample time to reflect upon her experiences, but was only permitted to exercise herself physically for a short while each day. And developing her exciting new ability, her firebending, was well and truly out of the question.

The Preservation, she had learned, had gone berserk at the news of her disappearance into the Spirit World, almost three weeks ago. Aiwa might have lost track of time while stumbling through the polar winds, but reality and civilisation had not. The violent Republic City gang, she had been told, had been fought off. Chodak and the other UPF soldiers had, with the aid of the Spines, put the boot into the rebels, and they had run scared. Why they had attacked a vastly superior force in the first place, Aiwa could not figure out. Perhaps they were just ignorant of their foe. The soldiers and scientists who had fled through the Western Spirit Portal had all survived and escaped back into the Physical World, except for of Zalia, who had succumbed to her injury. Xue's desertion before the battle had been with good reason, for he had located abandoned chi-data units and equipment buried beneath the ruins of the old Future Industries factory in Republic City. Reverse engineering and subsequent innovations with the recovered chi-technology had lead to the development of a tracking device for specific, spiritual signatures. The Preservation had neurological scans of its most important members, so reconstructing an approximation of Aiwa's signature and putting it to immediate use had been a quick success.

It was a cold autumn morning, and Xue had come to visit. Aiwa was to be discharged in a few days, and although most of her friends and even her parents had come to visit her in the Habitation Zone hospital, her mentor had declined to do so, until now. Aiwa had numerous questions for him, and the reverse would likely be true for Xue.

Drawing up a chair, Xue thanked Aiwa's nurse, asking him quietly for some time alone with Aiwa, and shut the door behind the medical waterbender.

"So..." Xue spoke, staring at Aiwa without a smile, stroking his wispy chin. "Where do we begin?"

"Can I go first?"

"Of course – but we'll take it in turns for questions. I'm sure you have as many for me as I do for you."

"How did you find out about that Future Industries vault?"

"Prisoner Five. We executed her both because it was deemed timely to set an example for our junior members, and because we had managed to extract one last bit of information from her that we knew she had. We knew about the existence of the vault from Prisoner Four, who was involved in storing away stolen Jishu chi-technology, but we couldn't figure out where it was – until a month ago, when Asami cracked. My turn for a question: how did you start firebending?"

"I touched the Southern Spirit Portal. I don't really know what happened... I just started breathing, and somehow I internalised the energy of the Portal. That's what it feels like, anyway."

"You were lying in the cold, moments from passing away, right?"

"Yes – but what does that matter?"

Xue leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. For a moment, he seemed to be straining to piece something together in his mind, but then the words flowed forth.

"'When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.'"

"Avatar Aang said that! It was when he first connected with Avatar Korra and restored her bending, after the anti-bending." Then Aiwa gasped, and Xue smiled.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked slyly, and Aiwa smiled, full of excitement.

"Do you think...do you think I connected with my past lives without realising it?"

"I think it's possible – and it makes sense. You didn't sense any of the past Avatars, did you?"

"No."

"And nor would you. Obviously, the Avatar's strongest connection is with their immediate predecessor, and you can understand why anyone would have trouble connecting with Junto."

"Is it possible his imprint isn't even in the Spirit World? Or maybe...maybe the connection isn't strong, since Vaatu severed it?"

"Korra brought back that connection while undergoing chi-assisted meditation by the Southern Portal – and we've every reason to believe that the connection should be as strong as before her battle with Vaatu. Besides, that has nothing to do with bonds that formed after Korra."

"But it's possible right?"

Xue scowled, and Aiwa could sense a rant coming on. She immediately averted her gaze, and hoped for the best.

"Aiwa, anything's possible. But is it probable? I won't comment. Now, your turn."

Aiwa cleared her throat.

"Xue, please don't freak out, OK?"

Xue frowned.

"It concerns me that you'd begin a sentence with that. You mustn't hide anything from us, Aiwa. If something is of importance, it should be discussed with a Senior as soon as possible."

"It's not that easy..."

"Clearly, as you've already failed at it! Now, what do you have to say?"

Aiwa hated this rough, insulting speech – it always seemed unnecessarily harsh.

"Well, I didn't just wander aimlessly through the Spirit World. While I was there, I met someone..."

Aiwa proceeded to recount her entire experience within the Spirit World to Xue, though she was careful to omit any details about Tenzin. When she was finished, Xue sat still for a minute, holding up a single digit to maintain silence.

"Thank you for telling me this, Aiwa," the airbender spoke finally, "but you should have reported this earlier –"

"I know!" cut in Aiwa, surprising her mentor, but she didn't care. "I just want you to help me figure it all out."

"What's there not to understand? Mako and Gano were clearly both out of touch with reality, so you needn't take anything they said too seriously."

"I'm not so sure –"

"Aiwa, that's enough!" Xue's demeanour had changed dramatically, and the angry amputee was now towering over Aiwa's bed. "Everything you saw – all that carnage – Junto did that a long time ago, now! The world has moved on, and you'd do well not to attach yourself to any of Junto's actions. You need to deal with it –"

"I don't have a choice!" Aiwa spat back, rising from her bed to stand facing her teacher. She was not taking his fury lying down. "You told me the world hates the Avatar for what he did! And you think it doesn't matter that I have to deal with what people think of me? _You_ deal with it!"

"Aiwa, I'm telling you what you need to hear – what you should hear!"

"Well I'm really starting to doubt that!"

"Hey! Keep it down in there!" A nurse had smacked a hand onto the glass separating Aiwa's room from the rest of the special patients' unit. Neither Aiwa nor Xue backed down, but Aiwa lowered her voice.

"My question," Aiwa hissed, "is this: why are you going to the trouble of feeding me recent history so slowly, bit by bit, rather than just telling me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, right now?"

"Know your place, Aiwa. The Preservation exists to produce the very best for the future of mankind, something you would do well to remember. We have not lied to you, and as I've already explained, you're not ready to know everything. The mere fact that you're angry about your lacking understanding demonstrates this clearly!"

Aiwa recognised she was not going to get anywhere with this, and slowly sat down on the side of her bed. The nurse came in to collect her empty bowl, scowling at the pair of angry Preservation members. Xue also seated himself once more, though his eyes were locked to Aiwa's, and the glare that was drawn between them was far from amicable.

"Next question," spat Aiwa.

"Last question:" corrected Xue with an ugly smirk, indicating that he was done with idle chatter, "do you feel as though you've learned much from your journey?"

"I've learned plenty," replied Aiwa, still holding her teacher's stare. "And I'm ready to understand plenty about what I've seen. But I'm sure it's all information I'm not ready for, right?" She rolled her eyes.

Xue, however, answered her question seriously.

"Yes. But haven't you had enough of a time already without needing to understand all the details? You've been on quite a journey: stories of the Diametric War, the Spirit World, Mako and Gano – and no," he added, parenthetically, pointing a finger at Aiwa, "you're not ready to know who Gano was, either. But then, Junto's actions, the South Pole..." Xue's voice was rising, and his smile had broadened. "unlocking your firebending and gaining a connection to the chi-fields, seeing the wreckage of the Southerners' old warships, weathering the wind and the cold, and finally receiving an experience of profound importance –"

Xue paused for breath, and Aiwa cut in.

"– I can't even remember it –"

"– Which is why you're not ready to try to understand it on human terms! Frankly, I'm jealous. Ironically, many people would die for the kind of experience you've had."

"Why? What's so special about a...null experience like that?"

"So you still don't remember what that book said?"

Upon regaining full consciousness for the first time since she had lost it on Tailbone Atoll, Aiwa had immediately asked for access to the book she had found there. The tracking team, she had been told, had found her sitting in meditation with an old book upon her lap. They had not been able to wake her for some time, and when they eventually succeeded, Aiwa's process of regaining consciousness had been slow, as though her mind had been fighting hard against its reawakening.

"No – just that one word: tathata. And I can't even remember what it means now."

Xue snorted, smiling in amusement.

"What's so funny?"

"You told us what it meant."

"I did? When –? Oh..."

"Yes. When you first regained consciousness after the episode in the ice – if you could call it consciousness." Aiwa expected a sneer or a snort, indicative of Xue's dark humour, but was surprised to see him deadly serious.

"Wretched riddles! What did I say?"

"It means nothing."

"What?"

"'Everything and nothing. Birth and death and silence. It is and is not. It means everything and nothing. Everything and nothing.'"

"This is absurd."

"Aiwa, life is absurd! People suffer and then they die! But the project – the Preservation's ultimate goal – is to put an end to that. And you may have delivered to us the final solution."

Xue smiled, and for the first time ever, Aiwa sensed something of a sincere compassion towards all living beings in his expression of gladness.

"So...can I see the book?"

"Not yet. You've just demonstrated to me that you're not ready to handle it. The knowledge contained within might have saved your life in the cold, but trust me when I say that your inability to remember either the words or, more importantly, the experience – the fact that you don't even understand 'tathata' on a deeper level than possible and call it 'absurd' – all this tells me one thing: you aren't ready."

"I'm never ready for anything!" Aiwa's temper was rising once more. "I'm not the Avatar, but I am! I'm never ready for the truth. I'm not ready to try mastering the Avatar state, and now I'm not even ready to learn some ancient philosophy that could actually help with all of this? What do you take me for?"

Xue put his hand to his chin in contemplation.

"Two months," Xue spoke calmly after a moment, "I promise. In two months, we'll have a discussion about the contents of that book. And –" He held up a hand to stifle Aiwa's protests "– there's good reason for this time delay. You read that book, Aiwa. On some level, it will have changed you. I want to see how those changes manifest themselves in your behaviour and your abilities, both physical and mental. And you've got other things to concern yourself with, now that you can bend."

Aiwa sensed excitement in Xue's voice, and some of it seeped into her, suppressing her frustration. She was a firebender, now!

"Will I receive proper lessons?" Aiwa asked, and Xue nodded, rising out of his chair and gathering his cloak about him, indicating his imminent departure.

"Of course. Zhain will be training you, starting in a few day's time. I've already spoken to him, and he's keen on the idea. Incidentally," spoke Xue, turning at the door to look back at Aiwa, who was now snuggled back under her blankets, "how's the head?"

"Good, thank you," Aiwa replied, smiling. "I haven't had a single headache since I awoke, actually."

"That's good. That's very good. You're starting to heal, and your experience with the spirit energy can only have helped."

"Really?" Aiwa was sceptical of such a sweeping and unjustified statement. Understanding of the chi-field's interactions with the human brain had advanced since the initial, secret studies, well over one hundred years ago. However, there were many specific pockets of knowledge which remained out of reach, and a lot of useful research potential and data had been lost when the Winter began and activities like frontier science had been largely abandoned.

"I think so, but I can't be sure. I'll say it's probable." And with that, Xue turned to leave.

"One more thing," spoke Aiwa suddenly. How had this not occurred to her until now?

Xue turned at the door again, now a little irritated.

"Yes?"

"What did you do with the others on the island?"

"What?"

"The other people who were back there, where you found me. The other...meditators. Did you rescue them?"

Xue's confusion was evident, and a strange sensation settled over Aiwa. Would he say what she suspected, what she dreaded?

"Aiwa, there was no one else there."


	8. Chapter Seven: Relic

Chapter Seven: Relic  
256 AG, Late Summer  
The Roughs, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

* * *

"Alright, Avatar, shall we?" Zhain gestured to the nearest arena, where San was picking himself up off the ground, coated in dust. The earthbender had lost his training fight against a rugged, old Senior.

Another warm front had come up from the south, and the fair weather meant that, once again, all junior Preservation members had been strongly advised to get outside and practice their martial arts. Today, a number of Seniors had even decided to come along, and it pleased Aiwa to see the more experienced members engaged with the youths, laughing and helping their opponents up when they won and yielding graciously when they were beaten. Some Seniors, like Xue, had become cold and hard over the years, and thought of nothing but their jobs and how to best serve civilisation's saving grace in the immediate future. But some relished the opportunity to help to grow those who might one day lead.

"Go Aiwa!" Glancing over her shoulder, Aiwa saw Pema standing amongst a growing crowd that had come to watch the Avatar's formal bending training. Aiwa smiled and nodded. She was scared, but not so much for her safety as for her reputation – not that she had one as a bender. It was silly. She could only go up from here, so what was there to lose?

As San moved to stand beside Pema, Aiwa noticed Xue and the Air Initiates arriving. She had forgotten that Xue's sole soft spot was for the youngest of the airbenders, and he occasionally brought them out to train on the Roughs in fair weather. Because there were so many youngsters out today, a number of additional Fortress guards had been requested for security, and Aiwa could see their forms standing around the edge of the wide oval that was the Roughs.

"Avatar, for a start, face me." Aiwa turned back to look at Zhain, who was looking at her across twenty metres of flat ground.

"Zhain, just call me 'Aiwa', OK?" she said with a smile, but the Senior shook his head.

"Nu-uh. Not today – I'm training the Avatar, and the request from above is that I show respect. I figure this is how."

Both Aiwa and Zhain turned to look at Xue, who had seated himself on a grassy ridge a little way off with the Initiates around him. The old airbender nodded.

"You understand the basics?" asked Zhain immediately, and Aiwa tested shifting her weight through the stances. She knew the footwork, had memorised the arm movements, and could even perform some of the acrobatic techniques. The robes she had been given by her father could now be used in the proper setting. Then, focussing on her breathing and grasping the chi within her, Aiwa let loose.

For having never combined the formal stances and motions with the act of bending before, she was apparently quite good. She stepped forward, striking, and watched with immense satisfaction as the flames blasted out to stop just short of Zhain. The Senior had started back in surprise, and quickly stepped away to one side. Aiwa grinned. Keeping perfect balance, she continued to move forwards, striking, turning, kicking, and striking again. She was neither as strong nor as flexible as she would have liked, but it did not seem to hinder her greatly in these basic exercises. At the end of the standard routine, which moved her almost all the way to where Zhain had been, she even chanced a leaping kick, and landed it well, drawing a round of cheers from the crowd.

"Very good!" She looked to her left to see Zhain standing a few metres away, applauding with the crowd. "Excellent form! You're much better than a complete beginner." The words were spoken without even a hint of condescension, which was unusual for Zhain. "You've clearly got a good grasp of the basics, so with Senior Xue's permission, I'd like to move straight on to positive jing training." Zhain raised his head to look over Aiwa, who followed his gaze to Xue.

"If you're sure, Zhain. I don't want her injured just starting off!"

"Which is why offence comes first. She'll be striking me, not the other way round."

"Very well."

Quickly moving back to his original position, Zhain gestured for Aiwa to do the same.

"Avatar, perform the same routine, but direct the flow at me."

Aiwa focussed on Zhain, shifted back into her original position, and began the motions, keeping her target firmly within her sights. She moved a little faster this time, more confident in her own abilities. As she struck, Zhain moved in unison with her, absorbing and dissipating, deflecting, or evading each of her fire blasts. As Aiwa was nearing the end of her routine, another thought popped into her mind. Quickly changing to a different final strike, she executed an altered finishing move, and although it was less effective than she had expected, it still caught Zhain off guard. The Senior's face lit up with a smile, as he was forced to put far more energy into blocking this final attack than he would have liked.

"Again, very good! Good form, and a very nice finish, although the final move was a little sloppy."

"It's not one I've practiced very much."

"Then that's all the more impressive! Let's go again."

* * *

Although the training started off on a positive note, it quickly went downhill. Zhain was initially pleased with Aiwa's skills, but his demeanour changed rapidly when she failed to successfully complete a number of more advanced routines. By late morning, Aiwa was worn out, both physically and mentally, but Zhain's careful use of positive encouragement, scattered sparsely between his harsh criticisms, kept her going. That was, until they began negative jing. Traditional firebending was far better suited to offence, and defensive firebending took substantially longer to master. Within seconds of her first attempts to defend against Zhain's attacks as she had been taught, Aiwa was blasted off her feet and onto her back, having failed to summon the required energy to fully dissipate his last fireball.

"Alright, that will do."

Aiwa breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Xue's voice, and even through the dizziness, she could hear familiar footsteps. A moment later, Pema and San were hoisting her to her feet.

"That was a blast!" chuckled Zhain, and Aiwa could see him flicking dust off his shoulders. "I had great fun! And you did very well Aiwa, though there are a number of areas where I know you can do better..." Aiwa zoned out, exhausted, and allowed San to support her back over to the grassy ridge.

"That was great, Aiwa!" Pema's voice increased in pitch when she was excited, and Aiwa winced a little at her friend's shrill cry.

"Thanks," Aiwa replied, accepting a water bottle from one of the Air Initiates. "And thank you, Sangye," she said with a smile, rubbing the child's bald head. Little Sangye looked very pleased with himself, but a moment later he had disappeared, as Xue was taking the junior airbenders for practice over on the other side of the Roughs.

"I mean it – you were so good." Aiwa turned to look at her friend. Pema's face was dominated by a grin that Aiwa had not imagined possible. San was also smiling, and Aiwa could see the pride in his face – pride for the girl he thought of as his little sister.

San's actual sister, who would have been about Aiwa's age, had died when they were younger, but San still remembered her. Now, Aiwa had almost completely taken her place, and although San still missed his blood sister dearly, Aiwa's place in his heart helped to dull the pain.

Suddenly distracted, Aiwa found herself starting at one of the Fortress guards who was walking by to follow Xue and the Air Initiates. Johto, she remembered, was his name. They had spoken two or three times before, and Aiwa was vaguely aware that he was Bataar's Senior's grandson. He couldn't have been older than thirty, and...damn, he was attractive.

"...So I overheard them mention that. Aiwa? What do you think it could mean?" Pema was trying to get her attention.

"What?"

"I said, two Preservation Seniors I was walking nearby on the way here mentioned the 'Prodigal Son', and his return. What do you think it could mean?"

"Well, clearly they're talking about the return of someone..." Aiwa said stupidly, trying to focus on the question at hand, rather than Johto's muscles.

"Clearly," said Pema, rolling her eyes. "Are you alright? Is your head alright? Zhain's last strike was really a bit too –"

"Pema, I'm fine," cut in Aiwa, grabbing Pema's hand and holding it tight. "I'm just a bit dizzy. But I'm glad you guys are here."

Immediately, Aiwa found herself wrapped in a three-way hug with her best friends. They had been there for her through her ordeal with cancer, and they were still here now. They were the best.

But there was one thing her best friends couldn't give her.

* * *

"Hi...er, Johto, right?"

"Yeah. And you are?" It took the Fortress guard only a moment to recognise whom he was talking to. "Oh...Avatar Aiwa!" He immediately saluted. "How may I help you?"

Aiwa had managed to sneak over to Johto and speak to him alone while everyone was heading back to the Central Compound for lunch. Now, they were walking together through the sparse forests between the Central Compound and the Roughs. The birdsong was loud, and the smell of pine needles was in the air.

"At ease," Aiwa said uncertainly, "I just wanted to talk with you."

Johto looked surprised, but managed a smile nonetheless. The two of them kept walking. Aiwa, unfortunately, could not figure out how to start the conversation, leaving an awkward silence. Thankfully, Johto broke it after only a few seconds.

"So you were firebending today, yeah? How did that go?"

"Well!" exclaimed Aiwa, perhaps a bit too loudly. She was pleased that they had landed on a conversation topic so easily. "I'd worked with the basic forms and movements before, I just didn't have the bending power to go with it."

"There's nothing wrong with learning just the bodily component of a martial art. How do you think non-benders get so good? They practice what they can do until it's perfected, and some are able to match benders because of it."

"Are you a bender?"

"No."

"You look pretty strong, though. Do you work out?"

"Er, a fair bit, yeah. Thanks."

Another awkward silence fell. Aiwa could not stand it, and decided to simply go for it.

"Hey...what are you doing tonight?"

Johto's expression immediately changed, Aiwa could not read the emotions it now concealed. However, he gave her an apologetic look.

"Um, sorry, but I'm kinda busy."

Aiwa's hopes were dashed. Suddenly, it all came out in a rush.

"Look, I'm not asking for a relationship or anything, and you barely know me, so that's fine, but I just really want to sleep with you." There it was, in plain view for him. Aiwa's will in asking for what she wanted was not strong, and she had been easily scared off in the past. "Sorry," she blurted out, putting a hand over her eyes. They had stopped walking, and Johto was giving her an unbearably pitiful look. He was a head taller than her, and Aiwa felt a little daunted.

"Avatar, um, I'm really sorry, but I can't do it. Don't feel bad, I think you're really pretty. It's not you, it's just that I'm engaged."

"Right."

There was nothing more to say on the subject. Johto turned to head back towards the Central Compound, indicating for Aiwa to follow him.

"Come on, it's lunch time."

Disappointed, but not distraught, Aiwa followed him. From far to the south, a peel of thunder rumbled, though the skies above the Silent Fortress were clear and bright.

* * *

Pema and San were nowhere to be found. Aiwa was wandering through the Central Compound, checking all of the usual places where they hung out, but her two best friends were somewhere else entirely.

Quickly washing herself back at her quarters, Aiwa proceeded to head up the hill for lunch. The large Food Halls were just below the path that lead up to the Sanctuary Gardens, the heart of the Preservation, which lay between the twin peaks. One always got a good, long look at the battlements that watched over the winding path. Thankfully, today's destination was not the Seniors' offices in the Sanctuary Gardens.

The Food Halls were almost empty, as most of the junior members had already eaten, and the hour was now late for lunch – well past one o'clock. Aiwa presented her I.D., chose a soup and roll of bread as a nice change from her usual curry and rice, and went to sit out on the open deck which overlooked the Central Compound. The Food Halls were separate in that they had their own thermodome, which was open today because of the good weather.

Aiwa pulled up a chair and sat down at a rickety table near the glass. The open deck was not open to the elements themselves, but rather named so because of the glass walls to the south and the west and the unimpeded view out over the valley. The Habitation Zone was mostly obscured by the Central Compound, although the tips of the tallest populace structures were visible. To the south, the Western Serpent's Sea was covered in fog. To the north-west, however, was the most splendid view. The beginnings of the Northern Mountains rose up from shallow scree slopes littered with dead pines to steep slopes, tall cliffs, and sharp peaks capped permanently with ice. The skies were grey, but the clouds were high, and the far mountain range beyond the Chimchar Desert rimmed the western horizon between the Northern Mountains and the mists of the inland sea to the south.

Aiwa had almost finished her soup when an old man walked up to stand across the table from her.

"Pardon me, Av'tar. Would you mind greatly 'f I sat here?"

Aiwa smiled, nodded, and gestured to the chair upon which the old man had placed his hand. Her attention was rooted firmly in the past right now. She found herself moving through her firebending techniques in her mind. The newcomer at her table seemed more interested in enjoying the view.

After a little while, Aiwa found herself surveying the odd man with a little interest. He looked very old indeed, with full but short facial hair, all grey, and his face seemed to be worked into a permanent smile, though his features were heavily lined. He was dressed in the garbs of the old Water Nations, and the hair on top of his head was all tied back into a single ponytail.

The old man noticed that Aiwa was looking at him, and gave her a smile.

"Av'tar, 'f I'm bothering you, I can leave. It would be nay trouble."

"No, no, it's fine. Do I know you?"

"You've probably seen me around. I do a little work for the Preservation, but I mostly just hang around idly."

Aiwa frowned.

"I'm just joking!" the old man chuckled, waving his hand at Aiwa. "You know slackers aren't tolerated."

"Everyone needs to contribute," intoned Aiwa. "A man's allegiance can never be solely to himself."

"Truer words have never been spoken." There was a twinkle in the man's eye, suggesting that his intentions lay elsewhere.

"Do you really believe that?" Aiwa asked.

"Of course not! I believe man's only allegiance is to himself."

Remembering a little more of the early behavioural lessons, Aiwa brought up another question. She had never fully adjusted to Preservation ideals, and both she and the Seniors recognised this, but she remained open to the concepts.

"I'm not entirely convinced by that. Is that an 'is' or an 'ought'?"

"That's an 'ought', but it's not _my_ 'ought'. Sheesh, you youngsters just don't get my humour, do you?"

"Oh, sorry, was that a joke?"

The man chuckled again, and Aiwa joined in uncertainly. Her curiosity was now growing. This man was clearly of the generation born prior to onset of the Diametric War, and he might just spill some knowledge of past events, given the right stimuli.

"What's your name?"

"Shiun. And I already know of you, Av'tar Aiwa."

"Just 'Aiwa' is fine."

As the Avatar, Aiwa was known by all. The Seniors knew her by name through a personal introduction, junior members lived and worked around her all the time, and Aiwa's existence had even been announced to the populace, though this had first resulted in rioting and a large exodus of angry citizens, and later a grudging acceptance of her existence. Most members were smart enough to know better, for they were either selected for certain such characteristics or conditioned correctly as they grew. But the masses...although it was mostly a younger generation that filled the Habitation Zone, the garbled and distorted tales of the previous Avatar's years had been passed down and shared everywhere. Now, it would be extremely dangerous for Aiwa to be recognised in the Zone, although the probability of that was extremely low.

"Nay worries. I understand you've had something of an ordeal recently?"

"Are you a Senior?" Aiwa asked, frowning. They had not been introduced before, and only Seniors knew the reason behind Aiwa's recent absence from the Central Compound. In any case, Shiun surely could not be a Senior if her plan to trick him into talking were to work.

"Nay. I'm on personal terms with a couple of the Ancients, and I've got higher access than most members, but I'm still a junior. They've nay reason to promote me. I'm not worth much."

"Oh, come on," Aiwa scolded, "there must be some wisdom hidden behind those years."

If there was one thing Shiun seemed completely fine with discussing, it was his age.

"Ehe, not so much," he joked, before taking a deep breath. "I'm not as old as I look, I just didn't take the best care of myself. I think I'm about sixty, now?" Shiun scratched his head. "Yeah, sheesh, that's about right."

Born just before the outbreak of the Diametric War, of Water Nation origins but with a Gaipan accent, and on good terms with the older Preservation Seniors? This seemed too good to be true! But she had to tread carefully.

"You're one of very few left, now."

This was not even a suspicious statement. The Winter had been particularly harsh on the older generations.

"I know – and I wasted my years. Imagine how I feel now?"

"Surely your years weren't completely wasted? What did you do before the Winter? Hold on, can I ask that?"

"You can ask me anything you want. I'll just be constrained in some of the answers I give, regarding the facts of the matter." Aiwa wasn't sure if she could see the outline of a grin beneath Shiun's beard.

"So..." Aiwa was left uncertain by Shiun's serious tone. But a moment later, his smile blossomed, and he chuckled.

"Don't take me so seriously! You're the Av'tar, you've got clearance, right?"

Here was Aiwa's chance.

"More than most," she replied, returning Shiun's laugh. "Actually, I'm going through some historical details –" Aiwa turned to check that the open deck was otherwise empty "– with Senior Xue at the moment. You know how he is..."

"Hah. Don't we all?"

"Yes, well, it's rather tedious, and it's taking a while to get through everything. I'll confess, I'm hindered by my own…attitude." She thought over the point for a second, before adding "And I can blame Xue's teaching style, too."

"What are you having trouble with? Hold on, can I ask that?"

The two of them laughed again. If his many years and poor health and decisions had failed to take one thing away from him, it was his joviality.

"Xue's getting me to piece a few things together on my own, and I love history, but joining the dots isn't always easy. What did you say you did?"

"I didn't say, but I might as well clarify. As a young 'un, I was always fascinated by fancy gadgets, and I learned about chi-technologies fairly early on. The Wushi – I'm from old Gaipan, as you can probably tell – they were stamping out that kind of interest, but my parents wouldn't stand for it, and they got up and moved to Republic City. I made a life there for a few years, but then I got involved with the White Lotus at a very young age."

"Gee, but that must have been around the time of its end."

"'Twas. But anyway, I was good with gadgets, and my parents wanted me to flourish, but they also wanted me to get a good job. I guess the universe just decided I was going to work and train as a White Lotus guard."

"When was this? What year, can you recall?"

"Oh, well I was born five years before the war took off. I would have been about twenty, so shall we say two-hundred and fifteen? That's over forty years ago now…"

"That's...that's the year the White Lotus was destroyed."

"Yeah, I remember it well… and I probably played a more significant part than most, actually."

Aiwa drew a deep breath.

"That was you?" she bluffed. If she could fool Shiun into thinking she knew more about him than she actually did, then he would be more forthcoming. "You were the one who..." She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, mouth slightly open, staring at the old man.

The ruse was well executed. Shiun's gaze dropped to the table, and for the first time during their conversation, he looked sad.

"'Twas. I've shame for my actions back then, great shame."

Aiwa held her peace, giving him a pitiful look. Eventually, Shiun continued.

"I don't know why my mind played such havoc on me. One minute, I'm loyal to the White Lotus, next minute I'm chasing after the Red Lotus' ideals, and then I'm seeing what they're doing for power, and I'm an accidental triple agent. Nay good position to be in. A lot o' folks wanted my blood. And they almost got it, too."

Fascinated to no end but aware of the part she was acting, Aiwa consciously skipped over the mention of the Red Lotus, without any knowledge of what it was. A few ideas immediately came to mind, but she shoved them aside.

"You're here now, and that's what counts."

"I'm not afraid of what might have happened, I'm ashamed of what I did!"

Shiun's voice was rising, and Aiwa raised her hands to calm him down. She certainly didn't want anyone barging over to their table or listening in on the conversation. She had learned so much already, and they were still going!

"Tell me about what happened...that night." She didn't even know anything significant had happened at night. It was Aiwa's most dangerous assumption so far. However, it seemed that good fortune was still on her side.

Shiun smiled a little, in spite of the few tears he had spilled.

"You want to know? Well, the details haven't faded. I still remember, almost forty years ago... The Avatar saved my life."

"It was...him?"

"Yes."

* * *

215 AG  
Avatar Korra Park, Republic City, United Republic of Nations, Western Plate

Shiun walked slowly down the dark street, trying to quiet his racing heart. He looked, he hoped, like a lonely nobody out on an innocent evening stroll. Of course, little could be further from the truth, for Shiun was in far over his head. And now, he wanted out.

A few of the brightest stars above were visible in spite of the intense light pollution from the Republic City Spirit Portal and the countless buildings, low suburbs and skyscrapers. Human architecture grew out from around the Spirit Portal almost like it had been disgorged from the ethereal gateway. The night was cold, giving Shiun an excuse to rug up in a thick jacket and a long scarf. Both were intended to keep him warm and to hide his face from prying eyes.

Reaching the eastern entrance to Avatar Korra Park, Shiun stopped to light a steamer. Puffing on the natural relaxant, he surreptitiously assessed every pedestrian that passed him by, his nerves steeled for his contact's arrival. It had to look casual, not suspicious in the least. Behind him, Avatar Korra's statue was illuminated by the gentle park lights, her majestic form glowing with strength and wisdom. The horizon in every direction was of either dark, stony mountains or tall, bright buildings. The dull hubbub of the city at night was normally calming. Tonight, however, was different.

A cloaked figure stopped by the opposite gatepost, blowing steam in the cold air. Shiun could not see their face.

"Hey, Shiun," spoke a gentle, male voice.

"Sorry pal, not me."

The moon appeared from behind a cloud, bright and full, her light picking out the details on the nearby houses, the pavement, the great trees, and the park walls.

"Right, sorry."

The unknown man turned and headed off into the park. Shiun wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing. The man's communication had not been what they'd agreed upon, and this worried Shiun. He cautiously watched the stranger walk off through the park, before disappearing over an arch bridge. Shifting back into the shadows of the large tree that loomed over the park entrance, Shiun lit another steamer, trying to calmly contemplate what had taken place.

"Hey, buddy." Shiun turned around to see a young man in a navy blue jumper and a small, straw hat. He was rather unkempt. "You got a light for a friendly stranger?"

That was the signal. Shiun was both relieved and terrified. Who was the first man?

"S-Sure," he stuttered in reply, fumbling in his pocket. "Here..."

"Thanks, buddy."

The young man gave Shiun a brief smile, before heading off into the park, puffing on his steamer. The exchange had played out exactly as had been discussed, and a minute later, Shiun entered the park in casual pursuit of the straw hat. He could still see it bobbing up and down some hundred metres ahead, but his eyes were peeled for the first man.

After a couple of minutes, he strolled past the blue jumper, who was now sitting on a bench in an area overshadowed by many large trees. The murmur of the surrounding city wasn't so loud here, and Shiun could hear the trickling of a nearby stream. He spotted the source of the noise, and made a mental note to keep the water in sight at all times. He might need it.

Shiun sat down on the bench, next to the straw hat, and shivered a little at the cold of the metal. For a minute, both of them puffed on their steamers in relative silence. Then, the young man spoke.

"In a minute," he murmured, "I'm going to get up and leave. Follow me a minute later, and –"

"Someone else knows me," Shiun cut in, struggling to keep the fear out of his voice. "Another guy recognised me at the park gates."

Immediately, the young man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small radio. But he suddenly froze, quivering and straining.

Then, Shiun's own body was wrenched from his control. His muscles locked up, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't seem to shift almost any part of his body. Even his eyes were snapped wide open and staring straight ahead, although he could still breathe. A dull pain began in his legs, and grew throughout his limbs, but it faded when he relaxed and did not fight against the alien force.

It was clearly bloodbending, and a waterbender though he was, he could not control the flow within his own body.

"See? It's easier if you don't resist."

A human figure moved into view, and Shiun's fear shot up into pure terror. The man was dressed in black, but his forearms and his scarf were of red fabric, and the hood over his head was a light grey. The look was all too familiar: it was the garb of the Red Lotus.

Three more people moved into view, a toothy woman and two men, all quite young. One of the boys had wave tattoos down his exposed forearms, and his hands were raised, tense, maintaining their grip on Shiun's whole form.

"Kill the spare," their leader spoke quietly. It was Kui Lang. Of course it was. He had come along just for Shiun. "We just need this one." Kui Lang smiled down at Shiun, and the toothy girl beside him stepped forward and out of Shiun's sight, next to the straw hat beside him. There was a sharp crack of bones that made Shiun feel sick. Then, the bloodbender forced him to his feet.

"Why won't you understand?" spoke Kui Lang quietly, stepping forwards and breathing into Shiun's face. He smelt of fresh water and lilies, and even through his terror, Shiun still felt the attraction that had gotten him involved with the Red Lotus in the first place. "You could have had this." Kui Lang ran a hand down the side of the terrified young man's face, and Shiun breathed heavily. "But now we're finished."

The Red Lotus commander smashed a steel glove into Shiun's gut, and the latter drew a sharp gasp of pain. This could only be a taste of what was to come.

"Now the only freedom you'll find is death. And soon, you'll be just begging for it."

Kui Lang began to walk off through the shadows, and Shiun was forced to march after him. The young bloodbender was skilled indeed, and could force his puppet to walk almost naturally.

As they neared the park's northern entrance, another half a dozen Red Lotus members appeared from the shadows.

"Are the satos ready?"

"Yeah."

Kui Lang turned to look back at Shiun.

"You should have decided from the start where your loyalties lay. It might have saved you a world of pain."

A single tear rolled down the cheek of the young Shiun, and his jaw was shaking with terror.

" _This is the beginning of the end for me._ "

A water whip snaked suddenly out of the darkness and grabbed an ankle of one Red Lotus member, before yanking him off his feet and dashing his head against a nearby brick wall. There was a sickening crunch, and the man lay still.

"Chung!"

Kui Lang's shocked cry rang loud, as the Red Lotus members turned to face the darkness from whence the attack had come. Shiun felt the grip on his body loosen a little.

As the Red Lotus thugs drew back into fighting stances, a cloaked figure leapt out of the darkness, bringing a fist to the ground a few metres ahead of his opponents and released a wave of fire. The men and women were all quick or strong enough to evade or withstand the attack, but by the time the flames had begun to fade, the attacker had moved again.

A single, small stone flashed through the patchy light of the park's lamps and whizzed over Shiun's shoulder. There was a sharp smack, a grunt of pain, a thud, and Shiun was suddenly in full control of his body once again.

The cloaked figure swept around in a wide arc, and his blast of air knocked everyone back several metres – but there had been fire, before. Had this man thrown the stone? And who bent the water in the first attack? Could it be…?

Casting aside these questions, Shiun quickly ducked into the shadows, taking off in the opposite direction to the fight. He drew a small amount of water from a nearby pond and coated his hands in it. Behind him, the sounds of battle grew once more, and Shiun chanced a glance over his shoulder.

The newcomer's hood had fallen, but he was wearing a full-face mask of white and blue. He was darting forward, evading the Red Lotus' attacks with apparent ease. Slipping under a wild swing, he delivered an awful headbutt to the toothy girl, who screamed and staggered backwards, clutching her bloodied face. A moment later, she was felled with a harsh jab to the side of the neck.

Shiun's ears warned him of dangerous rustling just in time, and he iced the path before him with water to slide underneath the imminent attack. Spinning around and drawing the water back to himself, he glimpsed the glint of sharp steel, and his self-defence training kicked in.

Shiun sidestepped the lunge of the Red Lotus member and retaliated with a water whip aimed at the swordsman's hands. The burly man smacked the water away with one hand, before lunging forwards to strike with the heavy blade in his other. The waterbender parried it with a blade formed from ice. Shiun had trained for this type of combat, but his opponent was not unskilled.

The two of them traded blows. The thug's heavy sword was smashed aside every time by Shiun's icy blade, which he would constantly reform with his free hand. Stepping back for a moment to maintain his balance, the waterbender was caught off guard by an unexpected and unconventional attack.

The swordsman let fly the heavy blade from his hands, and it was all Shiun could do to steer it away from his face with his water. Even so, the flat side smacked his cheek. Shiun span around, angry, his face smarting. His opponent was now coming at him with a large knife that he had drawn from a sheath on his belt. Shiun saw his chance.

No longer afraid but strangely furious instead, the waterbender feigned a strike, before quickly icing the ground, sweeping the swordsman off his feet and away to one side. The man crashed to the ground next to his fallen sword. But the Red Lotus had lost this fight.

As the burly man grabbed his heavy blade, Shiun cut his hand open with a deftly flung icicle. The man grunted with pain. Shiun wrapped his leg firmly with the water, before giving a powerful yank.

"Get over here!" he snarled, stepping to one side.

The fighter sailed past and slammed into a large tree, sending a shiver up the trunk and bringing down a shower of light orange leaves. As he staggered to his feet in a flower bed, dazed from the impact, Shiun grasped with his waterbending the heavy sword where it had fallen, and thrust forwards. The blade flew through the air, glinting in the patchy light, before passing straight through the Red Lotus member's throat. The force of the water pushed the swordsman back against the tree and embedded his weapon in the wood. The wound gushed freely, and even in the dark shadows, Shiun saw the flowers stain red with the blood of a dead Lotus.

"Good finish," spoke a muffled voice.

Shiun quickly drew up his water again and turned to face the voice, but it was the masked man who stood facing him.

"We need to get out of here," breathed Shiun, shaking a little. This stranger had saved him, but he was just that – a stranger. There was nothing else to base any trust upon. Nothing...except the stranger's identity.

"Follow me."

The masked man took off through the park, and Shiun ran after him. The stranger was leading him off the path and through the damp grass and low bushes, but Shiun followed him nonetheless. His mind was racing from the fatal encounter, now behind him, and now there was nothing else to do. If this man was who he suspected, the master of all four elements, then Shiun was no longer in control. He could only do as he was told.

* * *

"Those were the days," spoke the old Shiun slowly. "I can't run like I used to, and I certainly couldn't kill a man like that."

Aiwa shivered. The image of the skewered swordsman was graphic in her mind. She doubted she could ever kill a defenceless man like that. It would not be her. It could never be her.

"So Junto saved you..." she murmured. An odd question popped into her mind, formed from her own unsettled thoughts. "Did you ever have to kill again?"

"Are you kidding me? Far too many times. Xue hasn't told you about me at all, 'cause 'f he had, you'd know."

"Know what?"

"Ah, I might as well tell you. Xue will soon, anyway. Just...keep this to yourself, eh?"

"Of course."

"Well, I was a part of Junto's Team Av'tar."

The fact fell like a tonne of bricks upon Aiwa's mind. Shiun had known Junto. He had known the previous Avatar as a friend. Caution was thrown to the wind.

"So what happened after Junto saved you? Within a year, the White Lotus was destroyed, and its members were hunted down and killed. Did Junto protect you?"

"He did, and we got along strangely well. Don't tell anyone I said that!"

"Don't worry – all of this stays between us. Xue would not be pleasant to deal with if the knowledge got out, anyway."

Shiun did not laugh. His eyes were fixed upon the table. Aiwa waited, and a moment later it were as though the cork had popped, and Shiun was spilling every last drop of information he had stored away.

"There were five of us: Junto, Kuri, Gano, Riyo, and me. I don't know what kept us together for so long – the group seemed to defy reality in working together. We were an incredible team, but it fell apart eventually. It lasted until about two-hundred and twenty-five, when Junto killed someone he really shouldn't have. Kuri left. She was the backbone, emotionally, of the whole shebang. Junto was devastated, he actually managed to get into the Av'tar State when he found out she wasn't coming back –"

"Junto couldn't access the Avatar State?"

"Nay, only occasionally, by accident. We never knew why, and he wouldn't talk about it. But Kuri left, Gano desired peace and quiet and became a hermit, I was gobbled up by the Preservation in its earliest form, and Riyo, poor Riyo..."

"What happened to him?"

"Her," corrected Shiun, and Aiwa noticed that his eyes had filled with tears. "Well, she still had faith in the old ways. I guess it was 'cause of her dad. But she tried to revive the White Lotus, before we knew they'd all been killed off. She tried to find the remaining members, making a big deal about how Junto had betrayed the world. And...killed her for 't."

Aiwa took a deep breath, her heart filling with sadness.

"He killed one of his own? A member of Team Avatar? A...friend?"

"Well, they were never really that close, but yeah, he did."

For a few minutes, the two of them sat in silence. Shiun had retreated into his quiet crying, and Aiwa was staring at the farthest mountains, mouth slightly open. Avatar Junto dominated her thoughts. His actions, his failings...his fall.

After a little while, Aiwa summoned up the courage to speak again. The day was fast moving on, and the afternoon sky was beginning to cloud over, grey and dreary.

"Shiun, I'm sorry that –"

"Nay! Don't be sorry. You've opened my eyes, Av'tar. I should have spoken about all this a long time ago."

Shiun rubbed his eyes, before heaving himself up to sit up straight in his chair and giving Aiwa a faint smile.

"Aiwa, I'm gonna do it. It'll cost me everything, but I'll do it. What else do you want to know about Junto? I can't guarantee you much, but I'll answer whatever questions you've got, regardless of 'f it's sanctioned by Xue or not."

Aiwa was blown away. Her first thought was to decline his offer for the old man's sake, and to end their conversation right then and there. But she could not. Aiwa's curiosity was too strong, her drive for the truth too fierce.

" _The gaps in my knowledge are holding me back. If I'm to become a fully-realised Avatar, then I need to be whole – and I can't help put the world right if the mistakes of the past are closed off to me."_

And so she began, picking Shiun's memories for every important detail that remained.

She learnt of Junto's other friends: of Kuri, Gano, and Riyo, the last of whom was brutally murdered by the Avatar himself after a philosophical schism.

She learned of the fear of Junto, a fear that even his friends had felt. The killings, the cold reasoning… His friends slowly realised that there was something very wrong with him the whole time. It eventually became too much, and it tore Team Avatar apart.

She learned of Junto's rightly-fear powers, too. Complete mastery over the four elements, as well as their extensions in lightning, metal, lava, and flight…

"…Even like that old Red Lotus chap!" Shiun exclaimed. But as Aiwa made a mental note to probe the existence of this so-called 'Red Lotus', Shiun continued. "You name it, he could do it – except for bloodbending. There was something about bloodbending that meant that Junto could never even touch other people like that..."

Aiwa's curiosity at this bizarre revelation was stifled as Shiun charged ahead in his recount of the past. She glanced around nervously. The longer they stayed here, the greater the chance that someone would overhear their conversation, report it to a Senior, and that would be the end.

She learned of Junto's ascension to an unstoppable force of nature. Outfitted with frontier chi-technology provided by the Jishu, he had brought them victory in the Diametric War, but at a terrible cost. The deaths of Bolin the Great and countless millions more bore witness to his power and the power of raw technological advances without a moral hand of guidance…

"…And that's what the Wushi were all about, really," Shiun admitted glumly. "Balance – at least, _their_ version of balance. But Junto…he had his own morals, and wouldn't listen to anyone."

And finally, Aiwa learned of his downfall.

"…The Red Lotus became so powerful. Junto fought them. He hunted them down, killing and killing and killing, but they beat him." Shiun finished on a quiet note. Aiwa knew the rest – at least, she thought she did.

"The creation of the Eastern Spirit Portal."

"Exactly. No one knows exactly what they did, or how they did it, but the Red Lotus tricked Junto. They lured him to the Knotted Toe, that tiny little island in Chameleon Bay, and sacrificed themselves to kill him. But it set off the Great Winter…"

Aiwa was silent.

"Well, that's about it," the old man spoke with a sigh, wiping his nose.

Aiwa smiled, and said "Thank you, Shiun. You may well have just condemned yourself to death."

He chuckled. It was a hearty, healthy laugh, and Aiwa understood from it exactly what he then proceeded to put into words anyway.

"Don't make the same mistakes that I did, Aiwa," Shiun spoke sombrely. "For years and years I didn't know which way to turn, who to side with. Junto showed me how to put my time to good use, even 'f helping him ultimately wasn't it. I really don't know anymore. I could die tomorrow, and now, I probably will – anyone can, but my chance is greater." The old man gave her a wrinkled smile, and Aiwa reached across the table to grab Shiun's wiry hand. A tear slipped from his eye.

"Don't waste the time you've got."

And Aiwa was certain she wouldn't.

"Shiun, I'd like to go now..."

"Fair enough."

"But I have one more thing to say, and one more question."

"Ask away," Shiun said with a smile.

"Gano's dead."

"I figured as much. Did you see it happen?"

"More or less. Do you want to know how it happened?"

"Nay. I miss him, but the years of separation have dulled the pain. I don't need that old wound reopened. Your last question?"

Aiwa paused to think. What would this achieve? The mysteries could only deepen. Surely it would be best to just surrender what she didn't know to the future, when Xue would explain it to her when she was ready. But another part of her knew that she would not rest until all possible sources of knowledge had been exhausted. Riyo was dead, Gano was gone, she had no real connection with Junto beyond the terrible eyes that flashed before her, and Shiun's well of information was dry. But there was one left, one more to meet until she was complete. She took a deep breath.

"Where's Kuri?"

* * *

As she bade Shiun farewell, Aiwa's mind was working overtime. She knew exactly how to make the best use of her time, right in the here and now.

* * *

Aiwa arrived at the Central Medical Centre as the light was beginning to fade behind the regional mountains. The Habitation Zone lay at the feet of a large hill to the east, upon which the Central Compound lay, and beyond which the twin peaks flanking the Sanctuary Gardens were visible. The sky was flushed with orange and pink, and the winds were picking up. A great mass of bulky, low clouds was descending from the sea to the south, and Aiwa shivered in the cold.

Thankfully, the CMC was quite close to the Preservation members' facilities, and Aiwa had barely to walk down the hill and enter the Habitation Zone to reach it. The path down was a pleasant walk through bamboo thickets and small pines, and Aiwa had politely greeted a couple of friendly Compound guards she had passed on the way. The Zone itself, however, was not as enticing a destination, and Aiwa felt herself seething at the need to go there.

It was not for lack of sympathy that Aiwa disliked entering the Habitation Zone. She knew some good people there, had a couple of close friends whom she visited from time to time, and her own parents lived near the north-west wall. No, it was the people she didn't know who concerned her, who scared her. She always received shifty looks from unkempt youths in concealing jackets, hanging around in the streets with seemingly little of importance to attend to. Perhaps it was just the places she had visited. Perhaps it was simply confirmation bias.

The clean, crowded, and cheerful streets were filled with life and colour and the tall, noble, practical housing and administration buildings portrayed splendour and importance. Then, there was the CMC, only a short distance from the end of the Central Compound path. The huge medical centre was quiet this evening, with only a few people entering and leaving every few minutes. The bulky but elegant structure stretched two hundred metres into the air, and from every window shone forth warm, yellow light.

Pushing open the double doors at the main entrance, Aiwa began to make her way through the hospital, pausing only to enquire at reception about the location of the permanent care units. That, Shiun had told her, was where Kuri was. Here, in this hospital, a person of incredible significance to both the past and, Aiwa hoped, the future had lain in a bed for twenty years.

"Excuse me," Aiwa spoke kindly, finally reaching the desired units on the fifth floor, "can you direct me to patient thirteen?"

"You see that door there, love? Go thro' that door, down the corridor to ya right, and patient thirteen's ward's the seventh you'll see on ya left. Ya got that?" The thin, balding man at the help desk gave Aiwa a smile, pointing out the instructions with a withered hand, and Aiwa thanked him.

Reaching ward thirteen, Aiwa noticed that it was larger than the others around it. However, all she could see was the door itself. She raised a hand to knock at the door, uncertain at what to do, but was interrupted.

"Excuse me, miss, but what are you doing?"

A plump, short woman in a nurse's uniform came trotting down the hall, holding a set of keys in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

"I was just coming to pay a visit to patient thirt –"

"Alright alright, I know what's happened. You a member, miss? Can I see some I.D., please?" Aiwa flashed her I.D. card.

"Alright, old Gozo's forgotten again," she chuckled, more to herself than to Aiwa. "Weren't you given a key?"

"No – the gentleman at the help desk round the corner only said to come here."

"Poor old Gozo! I shouldn't say this so loud, but he needs to go. Been in administration too long, that one has! It's frazzled his brains. But here you go, miss."

The nurse inserted her keys into the lock in ward thirteen's door, clicked them, and the door swung open a little way.

"Just press the green button on the inside by the door if you need help at all, miss."

The nurse went her way, and Aiwa gently pushed open the door, entered, and shut it quietly behind her. Then she turned to face the bed, noticing all of the humming and beeping medical equipment around her, and her heart fell.

On the bed, covered to her midriff by blankets and wearing the grey fatigues of a patient, lay an old woman. Her hair was bundled up behind her head, and attached to her temples were a pair of metal plates with cords running out and into the myriad of machines around her. Aiwa walked slowly over to the bedside.

Kuri had a round face that would once have been quite cute, but now it was bony and sallow. The area around her eyes was only a little lined, and her expression was entirely neutral.

" _What did you expect, Aiwa? He told you she was in the hospital!"_

Aiwa was angry with herself. Here lay an old friend of the previous Avatar, and surely she knew much that could help Aiwa in her quest for the truth, but she was out of reach. Her mind was damaged, though her body continued to regulate and pump the will to live throughout her whole form. Why the Preservation was keeping her down here, and not in their prisons, Aiwa could not know.

Aiwa left the ward in a sorry state. She was sad for Kuri, for Shiun, and for herself. It seemed she could do little to help anyone. All that remained was to continue on as she had, doing her firebending training and learning from Xue.

"You know, miss, that old lady's been in there since I started working here. Only one or two visits she's ever received!" The plump nurse was suddenly plodding along beside Aiwa, while the latter was in deep thought. "Can you tell me who she is?"

"Friend of Junto's," Aiwa muttered distractedly.

Aiwa was only dimly aware that the nurse had come to an abrupt halt, and was now standing still behind her. As her mind caught up with her actions, Aiwa turned around to look at the nurse. The young woman was staring at Aiwa in horror, and the latter realised her mistake.

"I mean – that's not exactly –"

But the damage was done.

"They're holding her here?" the nurse whispered, looking back over her shoulder at ward thirteen. "One of... _his_ friends? And they're keeping her with us?"

Suddenly, the nurse turned around and began to run back towards Kuri's room. Aiwa had seen the anger on her face. With no time to think about what she was doing, Aiwa tore after her, and tackled the nurse as she reached the door. The two of were suddenly grappling on the floor, and the sounds of their fighting drew a number of other staff running.

Aiwa was not strong, but she was stronger than this one. Her heart racing, she pinned the nurse to the floor on her front and clasped her hand over the woman's mouth. The information she now possessed could not escape!

"What's going on here?" yelled an anguished doctor, as a local guard came running into view.

"I'm a member –" Aiwa performed a complex manoeuvre to produce her I.D. while maintaining her grip on the struggling nurse "– I'll explain in a moment, just help me with her!"

The CMC guard helped Aiwa to bring the nurse to her feet, and Aiwa was saddened to see that the young woman was in tears. Her mouth was now stuffed with a handkerchief, and the strong guard was holding her still.

"You'd better start talking, young lady! Member or not, you can't just run amuck like this! What do you think you're doing interfering with a hospital nurse?" The tall guard was glaring at Aiwa, but Aiwa glared right back. She was the Avatar, and they were mere civilians!

"I've made a grave mistake. I've made a compromising comment that could put the CMC in jeopardy if it got out! This nurse heard it – keep her silent, and come with me. And would someone contact Preservation Security?"

"What gives you the authority to –?"

"I'm the bloody Avatar!" hissed Aiwa, thrusting her I.D. lanyard into the guard's face. He took a moment to read the details, eyes wide, before breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry, Avatar, I didn't know –"

"Let's go, now. Is someone making that call?" she shot at the gawking medical staff.

"O-On it," stuttered the lanky doctor, before disappearing into a nearby office.

The other the hospital personnel were beginning to mutter, and Aiwa could sense their anger. She had made a terrible mistake, but if she could escape with the unfortunate nurse gagged, then no one would else would get hurt.

By the time the group reached the hospital entrance at ground level, several other CMC guards had joined Aiwa and the restrained nurse. Now two men in the guards' grey uniform were holding the crying nurse, ensuring that she could not speak.

Aiwa's heart was racing. She feared for the safety of the hospital if the secret was leaked, but was also heartbroken at what was being done to the kind nurse whose only crime had been overhearing Aiwa's vocal blunder.

"Now what, Avatar?" spoke one of the guards gruffly, but the answer was already arriving in the form of a group of UPF soldiers lead by none other than Aiwa's teacher himself. The sky was now a dark blue, and a cold wind had whipped up. The open square out the front of the CMC was mostly deserted, but a few curious civilians had moved out from the comfort of their houses to watch what was going on.

Xue was dressed in a long, white and grey cloak over his usual Senior's robes, and he was livid.

"Aiwa, what do you think you're doing?" He hissed, walking forwards and gesturing for the UPF to flank him. It worried Aiwa that he had brought not the Preservation's personal security force, but rather members of its army. Aiwa thought she recognised Chodak's tall form amongst the faceless UPF soldiers.

She would have to tell Xue – there was no choice about it. She had to reveal what she had learned.

"Listen," she spoke quietly, walking up close to the angry airbender, "I was visiting the hospital and I made a blunder. I let slip something I shouldn't have, and this nurse heard it. If you want to maintain peace here, you need to make sure she's taken care of."

Xue bared his teeth, and in the half-light of the evening street lamps even his scars felt like they were threatening her.

"What did you tell her?"

"I said something about Junto that –"

"Exactly what did you tell her? What could you tell her that would compromise her like this?"

Aiwa drew a deep breath.

"I...I revealed the identity of patient thirteen of the permanent care units."

Xue drew back, his face filling with surprise.

"How do you know about _her_?"

"It's not important right now! I promise, if we can sort this out peacefully, then I'll tell you everything. But she needs to be taken away, and..."

"And what, Aiwa? What do we do with her? I'm sure this nurse was a fine, upstanding citizen who did her job and did it well – unlike some people!" Xue spat at Aiwa's feet. "Go straight to my office. Don't deviate, don't make any stops. I'll meet you there in one hour."

As Aiwa left the square, heading back towards the path that snaked up towards the Central Compound, she heard a series of shouts, the rumble of earthbending, and a scream. Looking back over her shoulder, Aiwa saw the body of the young nurse lying in the dust a few metres from the UPF guards. A large number of onlookers were starting to murmur and shout.

The secret was out. The nurse had told the world who the Preservation was keeping in the Habitation Zone, and not a single survivor from before the Winter would remain placid. They would see red. Aiwa would surely be responsible for riots and suffering, with furious civilians raging against their caretakers once more…

She ran.

* * *

Xue slammed his door with so much force that a painting fell off the wall and broke its frame upon the floor. Aiwa closed her eyes and calmed her racing fears. How bad could this get? She was the Avatar, and they needed her more than she needed them...right?

Xue walked around his desk, pulled his chair out, and collapsed into it. Somehow, incredibly, his anger appeared to seep away with his energy. For a few minutes, the Senior simply sat there, his lone hand covering his eyes. Aiwa noticed that his cloak was singed in several places, and his hair was particularly unkempt.

"Tell me, Aiwa," he began at length, "what exactly were you hoping to achieve by visiting Kuri?"

"I don't know. I guess I was...seeking the truth."

Aiwa's gaze was met with an expression of deepest disdain.

"You caused a lot of damage today, Aiwa. We were forced to commit a lot of soldiers to defend that hospital, and several paid with their lives. Some have been critically wounded, and a large number of civilians were also killed in the uprising."

Aiwa had nothing to say.

"I know where you found out about Kuri, too. There's only one way, and we've dealt with him. Loose information can be dangerous."

Xue gave Aiwa a perplexing look. It was completely emotionless.

"Do you understand?" He asked.

"I'm sorry –"

"No!" shouted Xue, crashing his hand to the desk and frightening Aiwa. "You don't! You continue to rebel, despite my repeated and reasonable attempts to convince you to do otherwise – that you're not ready! You didn't heed my warnings – you wouldn't! You arrogant little bitch, you wouldn't understand that you weren't ready, and look what that fatal error has cost us!"

Aiwa stared at Xue, her eyes welling with tears but her anger growing. The old man's eyes were bulging with a fury that was verging on fanatical, and his mouth was lopsided and showing bared teeth.

He couldn't treat her like this. In spite of everything, it wasn't right.

"If you had been straight with me from the start, none of this would have happened! I asked you, again and again and again, for the truth, yet Shiun told me things you wouldn't! How stupid are you?"

"Aiwa, I can only repeat what I've already said! You don't understand, and you're not ready – and in ignoring this, you've created chaos the Habitation Zone hasn't seen in fifteen years! I'm not going to change my ways, because I've no reason to – none of us have! No lies have been told to you, Aiwa, and when you understand why then maybe, just maybe you'll be ready! But from now on, you'll be watched much more closely. I want you to report to Varli at noon sharp tomorrow for a full-hour examination, and I'll be sending a truth seer along to be there. Now get out of my office!"

* * *

Aiwa lay in bed, gazing into space. All the objects in her little room seemed to dance around in the flickering, orange light of the single candle beside her bed. Her room was kind and soothing, and all of her belongings were gentle and homely. She had taken only the essentials from her parents' house in the Habitation Zone, but had made sure to cover everything with calming colours. Even so, the peace that lying in bed brought her did little to quiet her raging mind or sooth her shaking muscles.

Aiwa's day had been beyond intense. Firebending with Zhain, discomfort around Johto, pity for Shiun, curiosity about Junto, grief for Kuri and that innocent, unfortunate nurse...and fury at Xue.

Aiwa began to meditate, drawing her breath through every part of her body with conscious effort, before beginning to observe her thoughts with the placidity of a turtle-duck and the objectivity of a scientist. Her thoughts arose, and subsided. Aiwa felt her breathing, cool as she drew in, then warm as breathed out. Eventually, the thoughts began to fade away, and consciousness was alone with itself.

But she had little time to enjoy the experience.

* * *

" _You again?"_

 _Aiwa was standing in a small clearing within a dry jungle. The light from above was bright and hot, and it cast deep shadows which shifted with the drifting boughs and leaves above. A gentle breeze was blowing, cooling her a little, and Aiwa could hear the sounds of waves breaking on a beach somewhere nearby. A small swarm of tiny insects...no, tiny spirits buzzed by, but Aiwa's attention was focussed on the old man before her._

" _Me again," he replied with a smile, before sitting down in the lush grass and motioning for Aiwa to do the same. With jubilation, Aiwa found that her body was under her control, and that her emotions were almost neutral, this time. The irrational terror that had caused her so much anguish last time was nowhere to be felt within her now._

" _Tell me your name," Aiwa spoke, seating herself before the old man._

" _Zaheer," he replied. "Do you know of me?"_

 _Yes, Aiwa knew of him, but her memory was foggy._

" _You were an enemy of Avatar Korra," Aiwa replied, stringing the facts together slowly, "and you were involved in the burning of the White Lotus. You almost killed Korra!"_

" _And I died in the last battle before the Winter began, along with Avatar Junto."_

" _So you're dead – at least, your physical body is? You must have a strong, spiritual presence to be here now."_

" _Or perhaps I died while meditating. Or someone, somewhere, is running a simulation of my spiritual imprint. Or maybe I never really died. It depends who you ask."_

" _Whom," corrected Aiwa, and Zaheer nodded, smiling faintly. "But what are you talking about? Only one of those can be true. I'm sick of riddles, and I've had a hard day, so which is it?"_

 _Zaheer bowed his head._

" _I thought you'd have figured it out by now. So what have you actually learned since our last –"_

" _Stop." Aiwa's command silenced the old man. She wasn't prepared to just leap over questions unanswered. The riddles were unacceptable. "Only one version of events is true. Only one can ever be true!"_

 _A light gust of wind caused a flutter in the treetops, and Zaheer caught a leaf as it fell. He held it up to the light for a moment, before placing it behind his back with both hands._

" _Where is the leaf?"_

 _Aiwa frowned. Zaheer's tone was plain, and she sensed no trickery about him. She decided to see where this little game lead._

" _It's behind your back."_

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Yes."_

 _Zaheer brought his left hand out from behind his back, and held between his fingers was the leaf._

" _It seems you were right. But now where is it?"_

" _It's in your hand, right there."_

 _The breeze blew again, and the sky subtly changed in colour from yellow to a faint pink. Zaheer moved his right hand into view, and in it was held another leaf. The two leaves were very similar, and even so, Aiwa could not remember exactly what the original leaf had looked like._

" _I see..."_

" _Do you? Which is the first leaf? No, don't shy away – there is an important lesson to be learned here. Which is it?"_

" _I don't know. I...can't know." The admission was contrary to Preservation teaching, and Aiwa gritted her teeth in confusion._

" _So what's the truth?"_

 _Aiwa began to formulate an answer consisting mainly of negatives, but Zaheer was not finished._

" _Actually, this is the original leaf." He passed her the leaf from his right hand, and Aiwa took it with uncertainty. She could see the direction, but not the destination._

" _Is it really?" Aiwa asked quietly._

" _You tell me. After all, only one version of events is true."_

" _I think I get it. This is a problem of how to know the truth."_

" _Epistemology," spoke Zaheer, with great emphasis. "In another life, I tried to teach Avatar Korra the truth, and I failed. I don't want to fail again –"_

" _Then don't play games with me," Aiwa cut in. She was tired of the riddles, and she was sick of not being able to understand what she felt should be plain to see._

" _I'm not paying games!" retorted Zaheer angrily, rising to his feet. The sky above darkened a little, and the purple light cast strange shadows in the dense undergrowth of the forest. "It's imperative that you understand this. I strive to bring freedom to the world, but what use am I if I can't even free one mind?"_

 _His energy spent as quickly as it had surged, the old man turned away and walked towards the trees. Aiwa had forgotten his age. Alive or dead in this world or the next, Zaheer had seen the Earth through the ages of two Avatars, and now he was forced to watch the failings of a third. Aiwa didn't know much about him, least of all his intentions in the present, but she pitied him._

 _Then, a thought occurred to her. It came out of nowhere, brought to life by something Zaheer had said. It had its origins in what Aiwa had experienced on the atoll, she was sure of it, but she did not – she could not understand it. But Zaheer might._

" _Tahtata."_

" _What?" Zaheer turned around, and the look in his eyes was unmistakable recognition. "Say it again."_

" _Tathata."_

" _Oh, it had to be you."_

" _What do you –?"_

 _But Zaheer's face had split into an unnerving smile. It was his normal smile, the same as ever...or so it seemed at first glance. But what pinged Aiwa's suspicions so forcefully was what it reminded her of: the meditators on the atoll._

" _Listen, Aiwa. The universe is steering us in a direction that perhaps neither of us can foresee or understand. I need you to tell me something."_

" _What?" Aiwa blurted out, confused._

" _Does the Preservation have the book?"_

 _Aiwa drew a deep breath. "What are you talking about –"_

" _Do they have it?" Zaheer's voice was not harsh, but full of conviction. "They have it, don't they?"_

 _Then, something clicked for Aiwa. She understood._

" _This book, whatever it is, what if I told you that I lost it in the polar winds?" Aiwa asked._

 _Zaheer smiled._

" _Then the knowledge it contains would be lost to us. Go on."_

" _And what if I told you the Preservation now has it? That I delivered it to them, intact?"_

" _Well, of course, I couldn't know which version of events is true, not without some...investigation."_

" _I get it!" All of a sudden, Aiwa felt incredibly uplifted. "I couldn't know which leaf was the original leaf without investigating it. If I take for granted what you told me about the right-hand leaf, then that's the truth. But what if you lied? I should pick your brain, or examine how closely the leaves match my memory, or..."_

 _Aiwa was breathless. Zaheer's smile was wide._

" _And that's what the Preservation is doing. They're lying to me. To everyone!"_

 _Zaheer held up his hands for peace._

" _It concerns me a little that this is what it took for you to fully grasp that. Aiwa, it just so happens that the right-hand leaf was really the original one –"_

 _But Aiwa understood, now._

" _Simply repeating it doesn't convince me. How can you possibly prove that the right-hand leaf was the one?"_

" _And now our analogy breaks down. Unless you trust me, it will never be true for you that the right-hand leaf was the original one. It will be true for me, but you can't believe me, because I can't present reason or evidence in support of my statement. The burden of proof is on me, the one making the claim."_

" _But I can find out the truth about the Preservation, about myself, about Junto, about the War, about everything! And –" Aiwa jabbed a finger at Zaheer "I'll discover the truth about you, too."_

" _Very good!" Zaheer was gazing at Aiwa as though she were the most beautiful person he had ever seen. "Freedom of the mind. Doesn't it feel just incredible?"_

 _Aiwa nodded._

" _Thank you, Zaheer," she said graciously. "And in answer to your question: the Preservation has the book. I read it while sheltering on Tailbone Atoll, far to the south –"_

" _You read it? Tell me about it!"_

" _I can't – nothing's stuck in my memory, except for that word: tathata."_

" _Nothing at all?"_

" _No. I was reading it, then I just...fell asleep. It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you if you tell me something in return." Aiwa felt empowered, and her withholding information seemed to work for Zaheer. He moved on._

" _Were they there?"_

 _Another topic on which to exchange information. Zaheer knew about the meditators._

" _They were there when I arrived – but the tracking team who found me said I was alone."_

 _Zaheer's mouth dropped open a little, but Aiwa beat him to speaking._

" _Tell me about them."_

" _I'm not sure I should."_

" _What? Why not?"_

" _It would be a distraction."_

" _A distraction from what?"_

" _The Avatar certainly needs a lot of hand-holding," Zaheer spoke sarcastically. "Look, I would assume you know what your next step is –"_

" _Yeah! I'm going to confront Xue with everything I've learned and force him to talk!" Aiwa was a little angry, but Zaheer threw back his head and laughed._

" _What? What's so funny?"_

" _You just reminded me so very strongly of Avatar Korra. She was very...spirited, just like you."_

" _Thank you."_

" _But I don't think charging in armed with the truth is the best way to tackle an embedded web of lies. You'll simply be reproached and relocated for reconditioning, or removed from the system entirely. That's how the Preservation works, and I doubt even the Avatar could get away with as much trouble as you're threatening to stir up. We still don't know why the lies are –"_

" _Why? Because it helps them maintain power. A trait common amongst historical authoritarian governments is suppression of the truth and production of propaganda that's contrary to the truth." Aiwa knew her history, if little else, and its importance in understanding events today._

" _That's very wise, Aiwa, and I'm glad you enjoy your history. But I suspect that reality is more complicated than that."_

" _I agree. So what should I do?"_

" _Investigate."_

 _The two of them shared a smile._

" _Now, it seems we still don't fully trust each other." Zaheer's statement was nothing but an observation of reality._

" _I can't trust you," said Aiwa simply._

" _And that's very wise. So I suggest a plan for future meetings, one which you've already been using: we trade information. You answer my questions, and I'll answer yours."_

" _That's going to be a little unfair. You clearly know a lot more than I do."_

" _But you, Aiwa, have access to the physical world. You can investigate. Help me understand the Preservation better – help us determine the motives behind the lies – and I'll tell you more about Junto, about those people you saw meditating on the island, and about the contents of that book."_

" _You've read it?"_

" _No. I know about some of what it says, but it contains reasoning which remains locked to my mind. I've reached some conclusions that I'm sure it contains, but I need to read it to connect it all together. I need this freedom."_

" _Alright then. So we both stand to learn things we desire. And I might even discover more about you. I already have my suspicions."_

" _Keep them to yourself," Zaheer recommended._

" _Before I go – and I never thought you could get tired in the Spirit World – I have one more question."_

" _Ask it."_

" _What is the 'Red Lotus'?"_

 _Zaheer smiled._

" _Xue didn't tell you that, did he?"_

" _No. I obtained it through...investigation. I learned a lot today, actually, about everything. But so much is still just...an enigma."_

" _Quid pro quo, Aiwa. Next time. You should sleep."_

Aiwa closed her eyes, and the next thing she knew was complete and utter nothingness.


	9. Chapter Eight: The Ruin of Nations

Chapter Eight: The Ruin of Nations  
256 AG, Early Autum  
Central Compound, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

Aiwa awoke to an odd but familiar experience: the faint sounds of heavy rainfall. She had been dreaming again, and although no images remained in her mind after waking this time, angry voices echoed around inside her head.

" _We are at an impasse."_

" _No, we are at an end."_

A month had passed since Aiwa had begun her formal firebending training, learned about the past from Shiun (who had not been seen since), and caused chaos in the Habitation Zone. One month since she had last spoken with Zaheer in a dream-trance in the Spirit World... In the physical world, Aiwa had made sure to act with greater discretion than ever before. Keeping her head down, she had finished off her knowledge testing with Varli, forced herself into physical conditioning routines to improve her fitness and general wellbeing, spent more time with close friends simply enjoying their company, and worked on her firebending with tenacity. Although her search for truth had stalled, the positive benefits of a different focus in life were fantastic. Varli was pleased enough with her test results to declare that she had completed the standard learning stream, Aiwa's health and stamina had improved, including psychologically, and her progression in firebending was astounding.

Of course, the month had not been without drama. With a truth seer present to ensure that she did not lie, Aiwa had been forced to reveal to Varli much of what she had learned from Shiun. The results brought forward the convening of the Senior council to discuss Aiwa's progress, setbacks, and future, and although Aiwa had avoided ICE once again, her most recent conversation with Xue had not been pleasant. The outcome was in her favour, but an irate Xue had informed her that further rebellious actions would result in more severe consequences, and that any displays of ineptitude like her slip-up in the Central Medical Centre would also be dealt with harshly. The Avatar could be neither seen to be incompetent, nor could her driving will be in conflict with the Preservation's goals. Private discussions with Xue would continue, but not for a month, as much of what Xue had been planning to teach her had been discovered in one go from Shiun...or so she was told.

Perhaps unfortunately, while Aiwa's outward behaviour had focussed on building herself, she had been unable to draw her mind away from its previous pursuit. Sometimes when she was alone, Aiwa would begin to dwell on it all. In this matter she had no one to talk to and no one to trust. Zaheer would not contact her again it seemed, for some time. In any case, Aiwa could not meditate into the Spirit World by herself. Stewing in her thoughts, frustrated but accepting of the truths she had found and those she still sought, Aiwa summarised her ideas to help make sense of the state of the world as she saw it.

The Preservation continued to hide the truth. The situation was now too complex for Aiwa to discern whether or not she had in fact been lied to – and maybe that was the intention: security through obscurity. Aiwa was sure she had forgotten a number of things she had been told that could only be lies, but would that even matter? The Seniors, Xue in particular, were good with words, and their careful, emotional insistence that Aiwa was being treated openly and with honesty was convincing in the extreme, if not to Aiwa then certainly to others. The Preservation also had some ultimate goal, Aiwa was sure of it. Obsessive tracking and recovery of old chi-technology, and the resources they put towards this goal, had to mean something more than just improving life for the members, the populace, and future generations. Surely it had to...

While Aiwa's knowledge of Junto had increased greatly, the major questions she sought answers to still remained, and Shiun's story had raised even uncertainties: What made Junto the cold-hearted killing machine he was? Why was his access to the Avatar State limited? Why did his powers exceed those displayed by any other past Avatars? And how was the most powerful individual in history killed by a single, secretive organisation, where entire armies had failed?

Other questions remained, mostly about the War: what was the Jishu's powerful weapon, the one used first to destroy the far eastern fortress, then Pohuai, and perhaps even to kill Junto himself? Where was it now? And what was the Red Lotus? What was their relationship with the White Lotus?

Dressing quickly, Aiwa listened to the sound of the rain against the thermodome just beyond the confines of her room. She rugged up well with a jacket and scarf, before setting off towards the Sanctuary Gardens and the Seniors' Offices. It was still very early, grey, misty and damp, even within the Central Compound's thermodome. Once Aiwa passed out of the junior members' quarters and began to climb the hill that lead up to the Sanctuary Gardens, she noticed the sky growing slowly brighter and brighter, even through the heavy rain.

The path between the battlements zigzagged up the mountainside, and although the path itself was under cover, the torrential rain had soaked the structure through. Now little streams gushed down the steps under her feet. Half way up, however, the rain suddenly began to subside, and by the time Aiwa had reached the top of the last set of crenellations, it had abated completely. Staring back to the south-west, she took a moment to catch her breath and to admire the view, for it was indeed glorious. The whole world seemed lost in the low, dense clouds. Aiwa could see half way across the misty Habitation Zone, and no further.

Ahead of her, the twin peaks rose sharply on both sides, and the sparse pine forest between her and the Sanctuary Gardens was always a pleasant walk. Today, however, she would not be walking it, for appearing out of the mists was none other than the senior she sought.

Varli was not a tall man. Peering out from under his umbrella, he wrinkled his nose at the sky. Although over seventy years old, Varli was particularly spritely for his age, certainly for a Senior, and had taken care of his mind and body throughout the years. He had the face of a man decades younger, though his slight stoop and his wiry hands indicated his age nonetheless.

"Good morning, Aiwa," said Varli, greeting her with a smile.

"Good morning," replied Aiwa, nodding briefly. "I wasn't aware we were meeting somewhere other than your office."

"It's a beautiful morning," spoke Varli, still smiling a little, "even if it is quite damp. It seems the rain has let up already, and I believe it's going to warm up a little later on. I was thinking we could go for a walk together."

Aiwa had been on her way to visit Varli for her final session of assessment, though their sessions usually ended up as informal conversations on whatever came to mind. Varli was a kind man, and while he took his job seriously, he seemed to recognise when the orders from above were in conflict with what he knew about his students. That, or his deductive skills were great enough that simply interacting with another human would tell him everything he needed to know.

"I like that idea. Where were you thinking of going?"

"Just along the cliffs to the south. The path begins just down there." Varli pointed off to Aiwa's right, to where the hill began to steeply descend into craggy terrain. Walking around to the west, one would find oneself on a cliff face overlooking the Western Serpent's Sea.

"Let's go. What did you have in mind for today? No truth seers, I see."

"No," replied Varli, as they set off towards the cliffs. "Just some discussion on your progress. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the matter, and what you feel the next stage of your journey in becoming the Avatar is."

"Really? You want my view?"

"I do."

Aiwa wasn't entirely sure what was going on. She knew that Varli was more receptive than most Seniors, though this might just be a ruse to further get inside Aiwa's mind – but Aiwa had nothing left to hide, did she?

The southern cliffs were cold, and Aiwa was glad she had rugged up. A gentle wind was blowing from the east, and Aiwa could hear the faint chiming of bells. The path along the cliffs was damp but not particularly slippery or dangerous, as the rocks were rough and the path was wide. Directly above, the cliffs shot up towards the twins' southern peak. Out to the south, the world vanished into a sea of clouds. The horizon was not visible, as somewhere over the Western Serpent's Sea, the clouds rose up and became so dense that all shape and form was lost in shades of grey and white. The Sun herself was only a bright blur in the low clouds to the east. Suddenly, the wind grew strong and the chiming was loud, but it died down again only moments later. Aiwa dug her hands into her sleeves, shivering a little.

"First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your efforts this past month. The Senior council is most pleased with your focus on your studies, and your training and drive to improve yourself as a person is commendable."

"After that day of unrest about a month ago, I've felt more driven to...cooperate."

"That's an interesting word you chose."

Once again, Aiwa was reminded that it was better to be truthful with Varli than to lie and be referred to a truth seer if he sensed ill intentions.

"It's the most appropriate word. I'll admit, it's mostly forced behaviour to try and stop myself dwelling on everything. I hardly feel free from my mind, these days."

"Very few people do, Aiwa. Would you tell me what's on your mind?"

He probably already knew, Aiwa scoffed inwardly. They all did, and although Aiwa was always careful not to speak too openly with Varli, the man's intuition was too powerful by far.

"A few things: firstly, I'm happy that I can firebend, but frustrated that I can't seem to control any of the other elements. And I keep having these intense dreams. I'm sure they mean something, but I can't figure out what."

Aiwa's two meetings to date with Zaheer remained secret, but the reoccurrence of her confrontation with Mako and Gano in the Spirit World, almost two months ago, continued to intrude upon her dreams most nights.

"What do you dream about?"

The pair rounded a corner along the craggy path, and Aiwa saw a set of wind chimes in a small hollow in the stone of the cliff. They were fastened well to withstand the winds that came through from time to time. Their chiming in the gentle breeze was serene.

"Mako and Gano. In my dream, they're always angry, far angrier than they were in real life. It doesn't scare me, because I know they'll never attack me, but I'm still worried. The fear is that they'll fight and destroy each other, and that I'll be helpless to prevent it…just like I was. Just like it really happened."

"Have you considered that your subconscious self is worrying about something?"

"I have –"

"Well don't," cut in Varli firmly, to Aiwa's surprise. "Dreams are messy, Aiwa. One might say they are the brain's way of taking out the garbage. As you know, my father was a genius, but his insanity peeked through from time to time, and it was mostly in his dreams. He'd tell me about them, sometimes. And then he spent the last ten years of his life in a psychiatric ward. For a mind like Varrick's, damaged or otherwise, it was too much..."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean you shouldn't pay too much attention to your dreams. Do you think they mean something? What is 'meaning'? Are your dreams telling you some truth about reality? How could you find out? Could you ask them?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

The wind blew fiercely again for a few seconds, and the sound of the wind chimes echoed around the cliffs. Aiwa was suddenly aware of the profound silence that took hold when the wind wasn't blowing.

"Your time in the Spirit World was emotional, Aiwa. You were shown things that frankly, I don't think you were ready for. And from what Xue reported of your story, I doubt the attitudes and actions of either of those two men could have helped. Compound this with your time alone in the cold of the winter hemisphere, and it becomes quite reasonable that this is simply your mind's way of coping with trauma."

"I'm not damaged!"

"Yes you are. Do you think you've fully recovered from the cancer? The tumour itself might be gone, but it's clearly still affecting you. You can't bend anything other than fire, nor do you have much of a spiritual sense, and I suspect this is why."

Aiwa was silent. Did her dreams mean anything? Should she be paying them any attention at all? Could they teach her something that her waking experiences could not?

As if answering her unspoken questions, Varli continued to speak.

"Your dreams, Aiwa, are just dreams. I had a dream about a giant mushroom a few nights ago. It fell into the ocean, and out of the waves sprang large fish that grew legs and walked on land. These fish eventually turned into humans, and my mother, who died many years ago now, started a game of Pai Sho to determine which of the fish would live and which would die. Then I was a fish. To decide who would face off against whom, we all drew straws, and although I drew the straw that pitted me against the weakest player, it filled me with terror. This fear, totally irrational, was beyond anything I've ever experienced – beyond anything I could experience – while awake and conscious."

Aiwa thought of the fear she had experienced in the Spirit World, first when Zaheer had spoken with her on the beach, and then when she had been attacked after fleeing from Mako and Gano and their wrath. That irrational fear, the terror that pervaded everything...

"And do you know what it all meant?" continued Varli, unaware of Aiwa's distraction. "Nothing! Nothing at all. While we are asleep, our minds function with very little logic. It's true that it sources information from our daily lives, but does this mean it can tell us anything that makes sense? I don't know where the mushroom fits in, but earlier that day, I was reading a book about the evolution of human life prior to the First Harmonic Convergence, and I also lost a game of Pai Sho against Senior Tsugang over lunch. I _never_ lose." Varli gave Aiwa a strange look, and Aiwa thought she could see a little disappointment in the old man's wrinkled features. "So it stands to reason that my brain would take certain experiences from my day and create illogical stories out of them while I slept."

Aiwa opened her mouth to respond, but had nothing to say. Varli, however, was still not finished.

"The point I'm trying to make, Aiwa, is that we are meaning-making machines."

"You mean we see meaning where none exists?"

"Almost – your wording is a little off. We don't just see the meaning, we create it. Humans and, to some extent Spirits, are the authors of every story ever told." Varli was starting to sound a little odd, his voice tainted with unusual emotion, and Aiwa felt a little concerned. "Does a book write itself? Do waves washing upon a lonely shore make a sound if no one can hear them? Do the birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees tell their own story?"

"Of course they do –"

"Wrong. We only know of them because of our minds, because we create their stories with our minds. We create their very existence." Varli took a deep breath, and stopped walking. When he spoke again, he was much calmer. "I'm sorry, Aiwa. These are ideas which I hold close to me, and few men and women share them, other than my fellow Seniors…"

Aiwa stayed silent, watching the old man cautiously.

"I'm just trying to caution you. You must be very careful not to create meaning where none exists."

"I still don't quite understand."

"Say I dream that a man I know kills my mother. When I awake, I find my mother to be dead. So I go and kill this man. Have I done the right thing?"

"Of course not! It could be pure coincidence, and you'd have taken the man's life for no reason. What if you already hated him, or..." Then it dawned on Aiwa. "And my dreams might be like this?"

"Your dreams are the perfect example. Gano and Mako were arguing over the nature of Junto's actions, disagreeing on their morals and consequences. Who was right? Furthermore, when the scene is represented imperfectly in a dream, can you make any solid inferences at all from it?"

"I don't think so, but I'm still not sure."

"Very well. And so I urge you to meditate on this, Aiwa."

For a minute, the two of them walked in silence. Aiwa stared out to her right, over the blanket of clouds that covered the Western Serpent's Sea. It was Varli who broke the silence.

"Oh one more thing, Aiwa: you need not be so frightened of exploring the truth on your own. Yes, I know this has been dwelling on your mind, too. As long as your actions don't bring about the kind of disruption that they did at the hospital, you should continue to talk, to ask questions. When information is withheld, it is for a good reason. The Preservation won't lie to you, Aiwa, but we will refuse to _talk_ –" Varli's emphasis on the word was powerful " – when to do so would serve no purpose, or could incur negative consequences. Do you understand?"

"I do. I think I can be a bit more accepting of Xue now. In the past, it made me so angry to be denied the truth. I'm the Avatar! Why would you do that? I need to learn, to grow. But since the episode at the hospital, I think I understand the reasons behind it a bit more. Can we go back now?"

Varli smiled, finally noticing that Aiwa was shivering.

"Of course we can."

An hour later, Aiwa had eaten, and was heading over to the Roughs. San and Pema had the morning off from their duties as adult Preservation members, and so the three of them had agreed to spend some time training with their respective bending disciplines. The weather had warmed up a little, as Varli had said it would, though the clouds were as thick as ever.

"Hold on..." said Pema suddenly, holding up her hands to stay Aiwa's strike. The two of them were taking it in turns to strike and defend, and Aiwa was pleased to find that she could almost match the airbender, even though Pema had been practicing for many more years. Aiwa's tenacity in her training of over the past month had paid off, and even Zhain had acknowledged her progress as being faster than anyone else's.

Pema drew in a deep breath, wrinkling her nose, and Aiwa knew what came next.

"A-choo!"

Aiwa braced herself against the blast of wind that whipped out in all directions. She grinned, watching Pema's slender form fly twenty metres straight up. Floating gracefully back to the ground, Pema rubbed her nose, before assuming her stance, and nodding to Aiwa, returning the Avatar's grin.

Aiwa breathed, moved through the stances to draw in her chi, and struck. The powerful fireball raced over the dry and cracked ground between the two combatants, but Pema was too quick for this one. She stepped lightly to the side, turning against the force and bringing around her palm to strike back. Aiwa overpowered the air currents with a follow up strike, and began to step forwards in a familiar form.

"Break the route!" called out Aiwa, and Pema smiled and nodded. Then, a beautiful series of fiery strikes, evasive spirals, blasts of wind, deft dodges took place.

Aiwa advanced, letting loose as many fireballs as she could, while Pema turned and ducked, letting the fire race past her, occasionally releasing a powerful current of air in Aiwa's direction. The two were almost perfectly matched, now. As Aiwa approached the end of her sequence, her confidence increased, and she stepped forwards rapidly, improvising like never before. The movements came to her without effort, as she struck, stepped, dodged, and struck again. Pema was on the defensive, forced to absorb and dissipate far more fire than she could evade, and only a few seconds later, she tripped over a jutting stone and stumbled backwards. Twisting over backwards, she was able to stabilise and bring herself back to a standing position, by which time Aiwa had ceased her routine. This was only friendly training, and Aiwa had no desire to hurt her friend.

"Nice!" cried Pema, while San, who had been doing push-ups nearby, took a moment to come to his knees and applaud.

"Sweet work, Aiwa!"

"Were you even watching?" Aiwa scoffed, though she couldn't help but smile.

"Enough to see you kicking butt just now!" San laughed, looking at Pema, who folded her arms and pursed her lips.

"Excuse me Mr. Rocks, but I would hardly call that getting my butt kicked!"

"No? It looked like it from here – hey!" Pema had sent a blast of air San's way, and the burly earthbender was sent tumbling backwards. Aiwa doubled up with laughter, before stepping aside as an irate but amused Pema charged past to challenge San, who was now struggling to his feet and moving onto the battlefield.

"Blow some more hot air," the earthbender taunted. Pema grinned, blew him a kiss, and then let fly with a series of rapid twists and twirls, each one producing a gust of air in San's direction. San brought up a wide wall of earth which the blasts of air smacked against harmlessly, before retaliating by launching it as a wave, which Pema stepped lightly over. Aiwa turned away to get a drink of water, full of joy. Her best friends were essentially her family, now. And even though they had not yet had the chance to earn the title, they really were her Team Avatar.

A little while later, the three of them were sitting on the green, which Aiwa had managed to dry without burning. Pema was fidgeting with knots of grass, and Aiwa couldn't quite tell if she was trying to surreptitiously get her attention. San, however, was on another planet entirely. Aiwa was about to begin silent signs to Pema to work out what was bothering her, when San broke his silence.

"Ever think about the stars?"

"Hmm? What's that? It's not even night-time, dork," Pema shot back.

"Stars," said San happily. "There's no right and wrong in 'em. They're just there."

"That's a nice way of putting it," Aiwa commented.

"Yeah. A bit of stargazing is really therapeutic," chimed in Pema, smiling a little. "You should give it a go."

The tension was now obvious. Aiwa could feel the subtle jabs that Pema was sending her way. San, as usual, was oblivious.

"Hey Pema, come with me to the bathroom?" Aiwa asked innocently. There were a few small buildings beyond the northern edge of the Roughs, where Aiwa could hopefully discuss in private whatever it was that was bugging Pema.

"Sure. San, you're alright on your own?"

"Course! Ladies always gotta go to the bathroom in pairs, eh?"

"Groups in general, actually," said Aiwa, smirking at San as she stood up. San chuckled, stood up, and moved away to practice his earthbending alone.

As soon as San was out of earshot, Pema began. They were barely half way to the bathroom, and Aiwa was surprised at her tone.

"So," Pema started, somewhat irately, "you've been hiding something. And I think I know what it is."

Aiwa sighed. This happened every so often, as Pema felt that it was her duty to be the holder of the Avatar's secrets, a role she felt Aiwa needed, though Aiwa didn't share the feeling.

"Is this about my visits to the Gardens?" she guessed, somewhat wildly. "You know full well I have extra discussions with –"

"No, it's about Johto."

Aiwa immediately donned a puzzled look, but her heart began to race wildly. Three weeks ago, Johto had changed his mind and given Aiwa what she desired. The decision to keep their affair a secret had been one based on mutual understanding of the consequences, should it become widely known...

"I don't know what you're talking about. Who's Johto –?"

"You know very well who he is! I saw you sneak off to a guard's room a few weeks ago, and a little bit of probing gave me not only his name, but his marital status."

Pema's lips were pursed, but Aiwa held her deceitful expression.

"You must have seen someone else. Was it late at night?"

She wasn't even sure why she was still lying. Clearly, Pema would not be fooled.

"Yes…but I know your figure too well–"

"If it was dark, how can you be sure? Which night was it? You know I've been focussed on my studies! I wouldn't be taking time off to go and do whatever it is you're implying. Pema, it wasn't me."

"Yes it was!" yelled Pema furiously. Shocked, Aiwa turned at the bathroom door to see her friend's face full of tears.

"Calm down," spoke Aiwa, somewhat harshly but holding up her hands defensively. "Look, why is this upsetting you so much?"

"He's engaged, Aiwa! You can't just go around sleeping with whoever you please! It has consequences I don't think you understand. The man isn't just his dick – he has a life, too!"

Her ruse well and truly defeated, Aiwa lowered her hands and her head.

"Alright, so I did it – him. Johto. Why are you so upset? It was a one-off event, and no one else knows! Johto loves his fiancée and plans to marry her regardless! Maybe I should have declined after he approached _me_ –" Aiwa jabbed at her own chest "– but I didn't. So what are you going to do about it?"

Pema was still quite tearful, but it seemed that the cause of her distress was different to what Aiwa suspected.

"You lied to me," Pema coughed, wiping away some of her tears.

"It's a white lie Pema! I just explained – the less people who know about this, the better! If you keep this to yourself, as Johto and I fully intend to, no one else gets hurt, and life will go on! I'm sorry I tried to lie to –"

"Are you? Are you really?" Pema cut in angrily. "Is that how little our friendship means to you?"

"Why are you making this about you?" Aiwa was now herself a little frustrated. "Didn't you hear anything I just said? Keeping this secret is better than having it spread around, even if that means lying to people you hold dear. What do you think would happen if Johto's fiancée found out?"

"You mean what _will_ happen," corrected Pema savagely, and Aiwa drew back a little. She was a little worried, but more saddened and disappointed at her friend's attitude. Could she and Pema really not come to an understanding here?

"Would you really do that?" Aiwa asked quietly, as Pema wiped the last of her tears away.

"I'm seriously considering it," she replied haughtily. "She has a right to know! If Johto's been unfaithful once, what are the chances he'll do it again?"

"I really don't think he's that kind of person –"

"And I should listen to you? You just lied to me! You could be lying now! How can I take you seriously – how can I trust you, ever again?"

"Pema," Aiwa spoke softly, hurt by her friend's harsh words. But it seemed that Pema suffered more, for she barged past Aiwa and into the bathroom. Feeling very sorry for herself, Aiwa trod the path back through the Roughs to San. She hoped, for everyone's sakes, that Pema would come to her senses.

Another thought, however, made Aiwa question whether she was in the right, whether she should not be the one to own up and approach Johto's fiancée herself. It was a lie, after all. A white lie, perhaps, but still a lie.

But then…what does it mean to lie? As this question floated through her mind, it was accompanied by an image of Xue's smiling face.

"How many people did you say were in the building you took shelter in on the atoll?"

It was discussion time with Xue, but rather than teaching her by way of answering her questions, the Senior had decided to barrage Aiwa with his own. Since Aiwa had mentioned the meditators on Tailbone Atoll, Xue had shown some curiosity in the matter. Now, he seemed to be trying to dredge every last drop of knowledge on the subject from Aiwa's memory. The pair were sitting in Xue's office. Aiwa had noticed, upon arrival, that the broken painting had been repaired. It was almost lunchtime, and a surprise event was scheduled in the Gardens Theatre after lunch for all members with non-critical duties to perform.

"At least a dozen, but no more than twenty. As I've already written in the formal records, they were meditating, dressed all in grey and white, and I'm certain they were alive. I touched one of them, and the skin was warm."

"Fascinating..." breathed Xue, leaning back in his chair, a strange smile crawling up the left side of his mouth. "And I have an inkling as to who they were."

"Is this information I'm not ready for?" Aiwa asked sarcastically.

"What do you think? Of course you're not ready."

Aiwa simply couldn't be bothered rebelling. Her resolve to discover the truth, her willpower, was simply not strong enough right now. Changing the subject, she decided to try her own question on a topic that had drawn her curiosity two days ago.

"Alright, so how's this for classified information: what was all that commotion the day before yesterday? You tried to hide it, but I know something of consequence went down in the Gardens. The rumours from the younger Sanctuary workers don't build a good picture, and even being nearby myself didn't help, but I know there's been...something."

"Very astute, Aiwa," replied Xue mockingly, before proceeding to provide an answer. "You're right, and so are the other junior members in observing that a significant event took place two days ago in the Gardens. I'll tell you what it was, but like all of our conversation material, it stays between you and the Seniors, do you understand?"

"Yes," Aiwa replied, her curiosity rising rapidly.

"Very well. One week ago, fractures were observed within the ranks of Senior Preservation members. I won't provide details, but a number of events coincided to bring great suspicion down upon one man, an Ancient – a Preservation founding member! The man was a liar, and an exceedingly good one. However, his hand was forced when the chi-technology department completed work on a machine that can detect ill intentions – intentions contrary to the stated, core goals of the Preservation. Out of interest, can you recall those goals?"

"I can: 'Survival of mankind; wellbeing of mankind; wellbeing of all other life; freedom and equality of all life. We act in this order in these desperate times, to Preserve, sustain, and promote life.' I've heard that so many times, I don't think I'll ever forget it."

"Well done," responded Xue, scratching his chin with his lone hand in apparent boredom. "But this man's intentions differed greatly from the order you've just listed. The development of this lie-detection capability was actually performed by the science department without our knowledge. Normally, we'd be furious that junior members went behind our backs, but some very quick tests confirmed that their intentions were good."

"So what happened to the dissenting Senior?"

"After we gathered the truth seers to determine the intentions of the scientists who had gone behind our backs, it became clear that their machine would do exactly what they had said it would. As you well know, brain scans of all Senior members already exist, and the scientists had already calibrated the machine correctly based on the standard brain type. The only thing left to do was to check every Senior against the machine. We already knew that the Ancient was compromised, but the fact that every seer confirmed the loyalty of every other Senior, and that the machine mirrored their results _except_ with this Ancient, was perfect confirmation. He was a liar, but a brain scan doesn't lie. The Ancient is now on ICE. We'll determine if he's of any further use."

So cold, so calculated, yet so necessary, Aiwa thought. One dissenting member could destroy everything that the Preservation had worked for.

"Lunch time, I think," spoke Xue with a wry smile. "It's sad, really. As you know, the Ancients are the founders of the Preservation itself. Most of them were survivors from the White Lotus. Naive idealists with good intentions but lacking experience. They teamed up with radicals from around the world to bring forth their idea of Preservation into reality. This group formed the core of the Preservation, the original Seniors. When the organisation expanded, the Seniors grew to encompass mastery in all fields of human endeavour, and thus was the great Intention conceived – that which you just recited. I can't think how a founding member – an Ancient, no less – could be corrupted like this. But we may yet discover the truth. The machine the scientists built is incredibly advanced, and they believe it may soon be possible not just to perform binary checks against existing neurotypes, but to actually distil the contents of a brain in interpreted form, something the Jishu were working on before the Winter began…"

Aiwa's eyebrows had shot way up. This was powerful technology, indeed.

"And this is all chi-technology, yes?"

"Correct. I suspect you're now having thoughts that most of us did, at some stage."

Aiwa didn't respond. She was thinking about how events might have played out, had the traditionalist Wushi won the war. Of course, their unwillingness to accept this new strain of technology had been a part of their downfall, but still... How might things be different, for better or for worse?

As the lights dimmed, the hubbub began to subside. Several hundred Preservation members filled the seats of the large indoor Gardens Theatre, and Aiwa felt she could have cut the excitement in the air with a knife.

"Are we connected?" called out a voice down on the dark stage. "Can we have silence, please?"

Then a microphone was turned on.

"Quiet!" the amplified voice boomed through the theatre, and the throng of junior and Senior members was instantly silent. The light of the overhead projector flickered on, and upon the screen was displayed an image which seemed to make everybody in the room shiver.

Facing the camera was a woman everyone knew well: Kuroda, leader of one of the exploratory teams tasked with updating the Seniors on the state of the world outside the borders of Old Shewen Land, where the Silent Fortress lay. The image was from a paused mover clip, but it was an emotive scene nonetheless. Kuroda, dressed from head to toe in sub-zero gear, was standing upon a rocky outcrop. Around her were puddles of ice, and a little steam was rising from a half-dozen other explorers behind her. But it was the far background that drew everyone's attention. The sky was clear and bright, and the Sun shone down upon a misshapen mountain that Aiwa recognised all too easily.

The ruins of the Northern Air Temple were cold and desolate. Only one spire from the temple remained upon the mountain, looming precariously over a cavernous drop and connected to a pair of crumbling walls on either side. On the sides of the mountain and on the valley floor, far below, Aiwa could make out the shapes of shattered turrets and rubble against the hostile natural landscape around. The temple had been destroyed in one-hundred and seventy-one, when a rebellious strain of the White Lotus had tried to capture and destroy the Avatar. The battle had been truly epic, and a lava bender had put great energy into consuming the entirety of the Northern Air Temple in molten rock. The mountain itself had partly collapsed, and now almost nothing remained of the temple itself. Nothing, except that one, lonely spire upon the peak.

Then, the mover was switched on.

"Kuroda's report," the explorer spoke loudly, above the blustering winds. A little dust and ice flew here and there, and the workers in the background continued to exude steam from down in the shelter of their gulley. Nothing else moved. The sky was bright, cold, and still. "There's nothing here. No survivors at all. The terrain doesn't support much life at all, and there's no way it would be suitable for humans. The Silent Fortress has a nearby mass of water to modulate temperatures, but this region is further north and landlocked. We're consistently below freezing here."

The camera zoomed in on the ruins of the Northern Air Temple, and Kuroda moved to stay in its field of view, pointing out key features in the background.

"The temple's completely destroyed, obviously, but there is one feature of interest. You see those cliffs on the left side of the mountain? We detected traces of natural gas escaping from the rocks, and a little more analysis showed us that there's a massive reservoir underneath this region. It's the only thing of value up here."

The camera zoomed back out, and Kuroda moved up close, so that just her head and torso were visible. Her face was wrinkled against the cold, and Aiwa wished she would put her mask back on.

"So we can confirm the scouts' earlier mission results: I don't think there's any human life left up in here in the northern mountains at all. The men and women behind me are setting up a larger seismic sensor to learn more about that natural gas reservoir, but it will be a day or two until it's operational. Supplies are fine, fuel is fine but could do with a top-up in about a week. That's all. Kuroda out."

The explorer waved at the camera, braving a slight smile in the cold, before donning her mask once more. Then the image went blank and the lights in the theatre were switched back on.

"Remain silent, please!" called out a Senior, walking onto the stage. The hubbub had immediately begun to grow once more, but it seemed the screening wasn't finished. "As you all saw, the northern mountains have been ruled out as a potential survivors' haven. What a surprise!" The woman finished sarcastically, holding up her arms, and a buzz of amusement washed over the crowd. "But we're not finished yet! There are two more reports to get through today. _Kodera's_ team has completed its reports on the Fire Nation and the Rafu Mountains on the far Western Plate. We'll be seeing footage from the old Fire Nation Capitol, the surviving forests on the Fire Continent, the ruins of the Sun Warriors' civilisation, and the Western Air Temple. You might be surprised to see what was found!"

As the lights dimmed once more, someone tapped Aiwa on the shoulder, and Aiwa turned to see Xue staring at her.

"Come with me," he whispered.

"Now? But I want to watch this! And we've already had a meeting today –"

"Trust me," Xue spoke excitedly, "This will be much better. After this, you won't find these reports interesting in the slightest."

It was rare to see Xue in such an elated mood. Aiwa stood up carefully, and followed the Senior out of the theatre. Glancing over her shoulder, Aiwa saw a man on the screen wearing overalls and an ash mask. He was standing on a grey slope, and overshadowing him was a tall volcano, dormant and still. The wind in the tropical Fire Nation was stronger, and Kodera had to move right up close to the camera to be heard. Large quantities of ash and dirt were sifting through the air, a product of the intensive digging to reach the buried Fire Nation Capitol.

Quietly exiting the Gardens Theatre, the pair made their way to Xue's office. Their destination, however, was beyond the glass sliding door in the office and out in the statues' garden. Aiwa had seen the three sentinels all too often. The great stone carvings were of three women, one from each of the Water, Earth, and Fire Civilisations. Their heads were bowed, their hands clasped together in front of them, and all three were facing the sundial on the plinth between them. The grass was springy underfoot, but Aiwa followed Xue up onto the small plinth, where five other people were waiting for them. Kilometres away, Aiwa could see the beginnings of the northern mountains, which were covered in snow almost down to the tree line. The pine forests were as cold and silent as ever.

"Are we all here?" spoke one of the Seniors, a young woman with sharp features and a brisk tone. "Good. Avatar Aiwa, I'd like to confirm that you remember everyone present."

Aiwa looked around at the assembled Preservation members, recalling their names and duties, before speaking.

"Senior Xue, educator and public relations; Senior Tsugang, discipline and outmissions organiser," she said, nodding first to her teacher and then to the sharp woman. "Senior Bataar, chi-fusion reactor chief technician; Quan Chin, atmospheric physics department." These two, she also knew. The aged Bataar and the youthful Quan both smiled at her. "Commander Chodak, United Preservation Forces, Outmissions Commander." She nodded to the armoured airbender, who gifted her with the briefest of smiles. "And Senior Azasck, Ancient and chi-technologies research coordinator."

From this assembly, Aiwa might have guessed Tsugang's next question.

"So, who among you can tell me why I've gathered you here? You all hold pieces of information which, together, create an opportunity never before deemed worthy of grasping."

Azasck was the first to speak. The Ancient was a hunched woman with long, white hair and a permanent smile. She wore the red robes of the old Fire Nation elites, and her hands were clasped together in likeness with the statues around them.

"We're going to build a colony," she rasped, and Tsugang nodded, before taking over.

"Well, a colony of sorts. The preferred mode of thinking is that we're reaching out to the survivors in the old world."

Tsugang took a deep breath before launching into the details.

"Here's how it all fits together: Commander Chodak recently returned from a reconnaissance mission to old Ba Sing Se. The city is far more intact than we previously thought, with many of the skyscrapers of the Middle Ring still standing and quite a number of inhabitants surviving in the agricultural Lower Ring. Interestingly, some local rumours have it that the Middle Ring is haunted –" Tsugang paused to express her disdain for superstition "– but we have a better idea of what's actually going on; Senior Bataar has been going over data recovered from the ruins of Republic City, courtesy of Senior Xue –" she nodded to the one-armed airbender "– and he thinks there might be vaults of data hidden beneath Lake Laogai, and perhaps even a relic somewhere in the Middle Ring. We're hoping that the earthquakes didn't destroy it, assuming it existed in the first place; Quan's report on the climatological stability of the region is promising. Not too cold, not too damp, and it looks like the major storm tracks are all further to the south than previously modelled; following from Senior Bataar's work, Senior Azasck took a look at the Republic City data herself, and has inferred the identity of the Middle Ring chi-relic. Certain individuals here aren't privy to the information –" Tsugang motioned to Aiwa and Quan "– but its value to us, if Azasck is correct, is insurmountable."

"Hence, a colony," finished Xue, and Tsugang nodded in agreement. "Or at least, something to that effect. The Seniors council has approved the project, but we've yet to finalise the details. However, this doesn't rule out an advance expedition to ascertain the situation with the locals – whether they'll help us or hinder us. Another reconnaissance mission is preparing to leave, as we speak, and then I'll be taking a party of fifty UPF plus Quan and the Avatar later this evening. Senior Bataar will be following with a further forty UPF plus a science division early tomorrow. Senior Azasck will be ready back here with a team to take on any technical tasks we have for her and Senior Tsugang will be coordinating the entire first stage of the mission from the Fortress. Any questions?"

"Why am I coming along?" blurted out Aiwa.

"Because I said so," replied Xue dismissively. "Any more questions?"

"Why am _I_ coming along?" asked Quan, clearly perplexed. His participation in the outmission was less clear.

"Didn't you read the memo? We want another civilian, in case the locals are afraid of military might and refuse to talk."

"So why is that my role? I just delivered the climate report!"

"And we had to decipher it," Tsugang replied, smiling. "You're a great scientist, Quan, but your communication skills are lacking, and so is your confidence. We've decided – and it's an _executive_ decision –" she emphasised, talking over Quan's squawks of protest "– that this trip will do you good. Your behaviour on the last excursion was…questionable."

Quan adopted a sullen expression, but accepted his fate.

"That's it. Back to it, ladies and gentlemen!" finished Tsugang, her features razor sharp with her smile.

"Senior Bataar," Aiwa spoke up, as the seven of them were leaving.

"Just 'Bataar' is fine," he replied, turning to face her with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

Aiwa had decided to exercise her freedom to question, just as Varli had instructed her that morning.

"I'm curious about chi-technologies, and I was hoping you could point me in the direction of some texts, if any are available to junior members, or perhaps you could explain the nature of the chi-fields to me yourself."

"I'm a busy man, Aiwa, I'm sure you understand this. But I'd love to talk with you sometime. The basic philosophy that underpins the technology isn't restricted information, but the scientific data and theories are."

"That's understandable. So when would work for you?"

"Once we get back from the colony project, I think. Come and ask me again, once we've returned."

Later that evening, Aiwa found herself strapped into the seat of a Bison Transport. They were cruising high above the clouds, and Aiwa stared out of the window and into the rainbow haze that caressed the sky. The drone of the Bison's engines was strangely soothing, and Aiwa leaned back in her seat and relaxed. Staring around at the soldiers, Xue, and Quan, Aiwa noticed that most of them had started to nod off, and soon enough, Aiwa herself began to drift away.

 _She was soaring through the air, up and up. Below her was nothing but clouds and empty sky, and above her was nothing but the same. The pitch of the wind in her ears grew steadily, strangely tuneful in spite of its monotonic increase. The serenity was intense, and the pressure of peace seemed to push against Aiwa's head. No pain was present, but Aiwa slowly became more and more unnerved. The wind began to play some alien music, though Aiwa did not recognise the tune._

 _She raced through a dense layer of clouds, and suddenly she was staring up into a delicate, orange sky, filled with nothing but stars. An intense white light blossomed out of a single point directly above her, and Aiwa felt herself being sucked towards it. Though the intensity of the experience only increased, Aiwa's nerves calmed, and she felt blissful._

 _Then, the universe left her behind._

 _The sky, the clouds, and the stars all raced past her, into the white singularity, and left in their wake was neither colour nor not-colour, neither nothing nor anything. For a moment, Aiwa looked down upon all of existence in a single point. Then, Aiwa herself was both drawn into the singularity and flung out and away from it. The white blip vanished, and consciousness was left alone with itself._

" _Tathata."_

 _What did it mean?_


	10. Chapter Nine: Moral Warfare

Chapter Nine: Moral Warfare  
256 AG, Early Autumn  
Bison Two, Ba Sing Se Skies, Earth Continent

* * *

"Avatar, wake up!" The hushed but urgent voice, combined with the gentle shake of the shoulders, wrenched her abruptly back from oblivion and back into conscious existence. Someone had seized her by the shoulders, and there was a general clatter of activity around her. "Aiwa, you need to w–"

"I'm Aiwawa – I mean, I'm awake," she spoke jerkily, rubbing her eyes and tuning in to the sounds around her.

Sharp radio chatter was coming from the cockpit, and she could make out Xue's voice responding to the distressed garble. Quiet but anxious voices were all around her, along with the clicks and snaps of military equipment being checked and locked into place. The hum of the Bison droned on beneath everything, providing solid ground where there would otherwise be nothing.

"What's going on?" she asked loudly, opening her eyes fully. Quan's face was up close to hers, and his expression was troubled.

"We're preparing for combat," the scientist replied. "The team that was sent to the Lower Ring in advance came under attack. Full support is on the way, but for now –"

"Why are people still fighting?" Aiwa cut in stupidly, still a little groggy. "There isn't enough to go around, we should all be –"

"I know I know, working together. I agree! But when people are desperate they become irrational. The Lower Ring is mostly agricultural, and it's become more stable in recent years. Apparently some warlord's established a base in the northern Si Wong region, and now he wants land to feed his forces. His guerrillas are –"

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, listen up!" Chodak's voice grabbed everyone's attention, and down in the cockpit, Aiwa saw Xue turn away from the radio, his face twisted with anger. "We're dropping in from altitude. Anyone not trained in terminal landing cut-offs needs a decelerator pack –" Immediately, about a third of the fifty-strong UPF detachment reached up to pull out small packs from above their heads, and began to fasten them to their backs. Motioning for Aiwa to get up and turn around, Quan grabbed a decelerator for her. "The numbers aren't in our favour, but a Blade strike group will back us up in twenty –"

"Blades?" piped up Quan nervously. "How many are –?"

"Shut up!" growled Chodak, and the scientist's mouth snapped shut.

"The reconnaissance team puts their numbers into the hundreds," spoke Xue, stepping forwards, "and the enemy has better ground and cover. From what I can gather from the advance team…they were ambushed –" Several of the UPF soldiers clenched their teeth, and an angry murmur swept through their ranks. " So we'll be playing it safe!" finished Xue forcefully.

"Hostile infantry is entrenched in an old refinery, so link in with the Blades and direct fire against the hardest targets," Chodak continued. "We've also got civilians down there, but our priority is keeping our own safe, so don't hold back. If you're sure about a target, then call it in, and don't worry about collateral."

That was so very like the Preservation, thought Aiwa savagely. No wonder they made so many enemies. First the Zaofu Clash, then the recent Republic City episode, and now this...

Xue was staring at her, and Aiwa quickly busied herself with her decelerator pack. Her emotions showed on her face far too easily.

"That's about it," spoke Chodak finally, lowering his visor. "Advance team is trapped on the fields to the north-west of the refinery, and we'll be dropping in to the south-west to relieve the pressure until the heavy air support gets here. A full ground response shouldn't be far behind them. Watch each other's backs!"

A red light switched on above the rear hatch, and a metalbender yanked the lever from several metres away. The door began to open, and the men and women all lined up, ready for the drop.

"Quan, sit down and strap in. Aiwa, with me. You know how to use that thing?"

"Yes," Aiwa replied, as she and the airbender added themselves to the end of the line and Quan fastened himself back into his seat. "Frame of reference is the surface, and I'll be decelerated to a soft landing automatically. I control side to side tugs for evasion, and just need to watch out for nausea."

"Correct," replied Xue with a brief smile as the red light began to flash, the rear hatch almost fully open. The wind rushed by, and Aiwa stared through the patchy clouds to the ground far below. The light turned green, and Aiwa's heart rate increased.

"Go go go!" yelled Chodak, standing to one side and signalling the soldiers to run, one after the other.

"Stay with Chodak," advised Xue loudly over the clattering of boots. "Don't try anything fancy – in fact, I don't know why I'm bringing you at all!"

"That's reassuring," Aiwa shot back sarcastically, but she knew that Xue had watched her training and approved of her remarkable jump in combat prowess. All that Aiwa still lacked was confidence, and that would now have a chance to grow.

Still, sending her – an unseasoned Avatar into a battle zone seemed...reckless.

Xue ran and vanished, wearing only a standard cold-weather cloak over his usual robes. Although an arm amputee, Xue held a reputation for fierce and skilful airbending, and she knew he would be fine. Aiwa herself had little more than her usual thermal gear for outmissions, but her breath of fire would keep her warm. The Winter was no longer a threat to the Avatar.

As she started forwards, the sole UPF fighter left in the Bison stepped forward and grabbed Aiwa's arm.

"Show no fear," intoned Chodak as the two of them ran towards the exit, "and be the leaf!"

* * *

" _Ming 2-1, coming into range now._ "

Hunched behind the low, brick wall, Aiwa's eyes were on the sky to the west, and her earpiece was tuned to Sergeant Saina's frequency. She was attached to this squad.

"Ming 2-1, this is Ground Jing 3, hostiles in the large warehouse two hundred metres to my global one, over."

" _Calculating...target acquired. Firing._ "

A bright flash lit up the murky sky, illuminating every single drop of rain for a split second. A moment later, the side of the warehouse exploded into shards of metal and chunks of concrete. The debris was blasted at least fifty metres in all directions, and seconds later, the sound and the shockwave both hit the UPF squad sheltering in the overgrown ruins of an old housing complex. The roaring of jet engines peaked, and Aiwa saw the semicircular shape of the Blade pass overhead, before disappearing into the soaking skies once more.

" _Ming Zero here, I've got a thermal scan on targets in the smokestack gantry to the east of that warehouse. Ground Jing 3, can you confirm, over?_ " Aiwa peered up through the rain at the tall tower, and Saina echoed her suspicion.

"Cannot confirm, I say again, cannot confirm. Could be civilians."

Another flash lit up the area, though its source was much further away this time.

"Whoa!"

An immense tongue of flames sprang high into the air, far beyond the nearest warehouse. Although dimmed by the mist and rain, the orange glare blasted forth like a newborn star. But it died away within seconds.

" _Ming 3-1 to Ground Jing 3, what on Earth was that?_ " Then Chodak's voice cut in on the radio, overriding all frequencies.

" _All units, Ming Group and Ground Jing: the red brick structures five hundred metres to the north-east of the central shaft contain hydrocarbon fuel reserves, break. Do not fire upon them, I repeat, do not fire upon the red brick structures north-each of the central shaft! Out!_ "

Saina and his squad began to advance towards the main refinery building to the east. Two earthbenders moved in front, carving out a trench in the mud and grass. It was slow going, but safe. They were mostly out of sight and would have exceptional cover if attacked

Aiwa noticed that one of the UPF soldiers, a short and stocky woman, wore the standard annulus and brown stripe indicative of earthbending powers, but had an additional, dark orange wave beneath the ground line. Could it mean what she suspected?

"Yangji," Aiwa spoke quietly, sidling up behind the soldier and recalling her name.

"What?" the earthbender replied in surprise, having looked round to see Aiwa addressing her. "Not now, Avatar!" she hissed.

"Ming Group," cut in Saina's voice, "hostile infantry moving across open ground to my global twelve –"

" _Ground Jing, Ming Zero reporting large optical signatures to the south-west of the central shaft, two kilometers distant but closing fast, over._ "

" _Blast! Tanks!_ " Chodak hissed through the radio. " _Ming Zero, do you have a thermal signal, over?_ "

" _Yeah, but it's very weak – they might be coated to reduce IR signature, over._ "

" _Ming Leader, can you see the target, over?_ "

" _Standby… Standby... That's a negative. They're barely visible in the infrared, and the optical is just as bad. Blades can't hit a target like that, over_ "

" _Ming Zero here, eighteen hundred metres and closing, over._ "

" _All Ground Jing,_ " Chodak commanded, " _bunker down and stay hidden. Ming Zero, confirm numbers, over._ "

" _Two heavy tanks, five smaller vehicles_ –"

A streak of fire shot out of the mists and into a large shed, exploding and causing the roof to collapse. Another three bolts shot right over Ground Jing 3 and disappeared into the mists. A peal of thunder rumbled from the south and echoed around the refinery.

" _Ming Zero, direct manual Blade strikes to slow the armour down. Ming fighters, support where you can, out._ "

"Sir", cut in Saina, who had been muttering away on a different frequency, "A Mecha Group is ten minutes out –"

Another salvo of blast cannon rounds crashed down, this time landing over a wide area around Saina's team.

" _Copy that. Ground Jing, close range with hostile infantry where possible, else dig in and go defensive, out._ "

A trio of bright flashes lit up the surroundings once more, and the sounds of explosions crashed in from the south-east. To the north, Aiwa could just make out the members of Ground Jing 2 sprinting through the dense fog towards the central refinery.

" _Ming Zero reports no damage to hostile armour, but they're spreading out –"_

A large spear of ice embedded itself in the bank behind Aiwa, and she looked up towards the gantry around the smokestack to see several figures bending the rain around them and launching it at Saina's team.

"Saina engaged! Targets on the gantry are hostile, I repeat, smokestack gantry is hostile, requesting Blade strike, over!" The squad immediately sprang into action. Earthbenders raised walls to shield against attack, while several waterbenders responded in kind. Airbenders would struggle to be effective at this range, and firebenders were next to useless because of the weather interference. The rain began to intensify, and thunder pealed from the far south again.

Another salvo of blast cannon shots struck, this time far more accurate. Although four still missed, the fifth exploded a nearby wall of earth, showering the squad in steaming mud.

"Saina taking heavy fire. The tanks have our location, over!"

" _Copy that. Ming 1-1 firing._ "

Another flash lit up the fog, and the smokestack gantry exploded into twisted, melted metal. Moments later, half the wall that had been supporting it came down.

" _\- s-t, that sm-ke-ack is col-psin-!_ " Chodak's voice was rendered partially incomprehensible by static, but Aiwa understood his message. She looked upwards, and felt her stomach clench into a black hole.

"Move! Run! Go go go!" screamed Saina, and the whole squad pushed up onto their feet and hurdled out of the trench, sprinting for the smaller warehouse to the north-west –

The impact felt as though it had shattered the very earth beneath Aiwa's feet. An immense weight slammed into the ground behind her, and the squad was knocked off its feet by the wave of energy and earth that the collapsing smokestack dispensed as it crashed into the mud. A few moments of dim confusion passed, before Aiwa realised that she was alright – that they were all fine. However, as the members of Ground Jing 3 picked themselves up and wiped away the thickest of the mud coating that they had all acquired, Saina cut in, voice hushed.

"Down. Everybody down!" Aiwa looked towards Saina, and then followed his pointing arm to peer through the heavy rain and into the dust of the smokestack structure. The building itself was still standing, though a section of the roof along with the smokestack itself had come down. A large hole had been torn in the wall by the Makila payload. Amidst the dense fog, Aiwa could just make out the forms of several people creeping through the building.

"Are they ours?" whispered Aiwa.

"Can't be," replied Saina, "Both other Ground Jing Groups made it to the central shaft structure. Ground Jing 3, engaging hostile infantry..."

Saina moved forwards, crouching down behind the large chunks of shattered masonry that had formed the smokestack, the rest of his squad following in silence. Aiwa found herself creeping along at the rear, behind Yangji.

"Hold...hold..." Ground Jing 3 was now only ten metres from the smokestack building, and it was apparent that their enemy had not noticed them. Almost a dozen figures were now visible through the mist, and Aiwa could make out the faces of men and women, half-covered by mouth-masks.

"Three...two...one...engage!"

* * *

Aiwa sidestepped one, two rocks, and punched a number of fireballs back at her foe. This man, this soldier of the warlord, was not tough, and Aiwa had expected a more challenging fight. Yangji was several metres away in the mists, holding her own against an airbender and a waterbender. Aiwa waited, watching as the youth she was fighting barely evaded her attacks. As he retaliated with a wave of wet earth and grass, Aiwa leapt out of range, before dodging around behind him. The eathbender was too slow, and Aiwa smashed her right forearm into the small of his back, before igniting her left fist and blasting her reeling opponent with full force. The man was thrown onto his face, his thick clothes smouldering in the rain, and Aiwa smashed him senseless with a sharp chop to the back of the neck.

Her conscience prickled – not because of what she was doing, but because of how she felt about it. Or rather, how she didn't.

A sudden gust was barely avoided, and Aiwa found herself facing one of the men that Yangji had been fighting. The UPF earthbender was locked in one-on-one combat with her waterbending foe, leaving the masked airbender free to go after Aiwa. For a few moments, the two of them stood still. Aiwa stared at her opponent with what she hoped was a mean and determined expression, while her foe appeared to be doing exactly the same. Neither was cowed, and Aiwa threw the first punch.

The airbender was quick, and incredibly flexible. Cartwheeling and rolling to the side, he avoided every single one of Aiwa's fireballs, and blasted air back at her. Aiwa, however, was being particularly careful not to put too much power into any single strike. She had to be quick and accurate, breaking her opponent's stance, and delivering the final blow only when he was reeling back. Her opponent, however, seemed to fight by the same tactics.

The combatants circled each other for what seemed like an age, striking, defending, evading, and lashing out when the opportunity arose. Their skills were matched, and this worried Aiwa. If one thing were to give out before anything else, it would be her stamina. It was time for a new plan.

Aiwa darted into the mists to her right, towards Yangji and the warlord's waterbender. The gust of air behind her knocked over a rusty plate of corrugated iron, and she could hear the airbender pursuing her. Yangji was facing her now, and between the two Preservation soldiers was the hostile waterbender. With as much speed and force as she possibly could, Aiwa blasted fire at their foe's back. The waterbender heard the flames approaching him, and wheeled around to block, but he was too slow. Yangji's rock struck him under the knees, toppling him to the ground. Aiwa slid under another blast of air from behind and leapt into the air, crashing down with a flaming fist on the waterbender's head, before ducking behind a small ridge that Yangji had created.

"I can't take him!" yelled Aiwa, breathing heavily, and the earthbender moved to stand between Aiwa and the airbender, slamming her front foot to the ground.

"I can," she growled, and attacked.

Aiwa watched the two elemental extremes battle it out. The airbender was incredibly light on his feet, and able to evade most of Yangji's attacks, while the earthbender dodged nothing, and simply refused to be knocked down. This worked to her full advantage, for when the frustrated airbender finally struck with the full force of a gale storm, Yangji simply drew a dense wall of earth up around her and weathered the attack. The spent airbender was immediately toppled by a salvo of painful stones. The first broke his left leg, the second knocked the wind out of the falling man, and the last shattered his collarbone, mere moments before he hit the ground.

Looking down at Aiwa, Yangji held out a hand, and Aiwa took it, straightening up and breathing heavily.

"Thank you –" she began, only to be cut off by the stocky woman.

"No, thank you. That was a perfect exchange. You finished the waterbender off with my help, and I beat your airbender after you weakened him. Together, we were more powerful than both of our opponents. Good job."

Aiwa locked her right arm with Yangji's and shook it. The latter's visor was still down, and Aiwa found herself struggling to picture what the earthbender looked like.

" _Hostile armour coming round the north side of the smokestack building, over._ "

Immediately, Yangji created a wide hole in the ground, and she and Aiwa dropped deftly into it.

" _One heavy tank, four light tanks. They're traversing...they're going to fire!_ " Chodak's voice filled with urgency. " _Ground Jing 3, take cover! Do you copy? Take cover now!_ " Yangji strengthened the wall of their cover, but the blast cannon round still shook them greatly as it impacted nearby.

" _Commander Chodak, this is Mech Group 1, we're dropping around the central shaft structure. Confirm enemy armour does not have line of sight, over_ "

" _Affirmative. All enemy armour has shifted south, but I see five vehicles by the fallen smokestack, over._ "

" _Copy that, we have eyes on –_ " Another blast cannon round heaped steaming slush onto Aiwa and Yangji, both of whom fell backwards into the mud. " _– Group 2 will hit the smokestack armour directly, out._ "

Aiwa heard the earthbender growl in anger, and then saw her suspicions confirmed. As she picked herself up out of the mud, Aiwa watched with glee as Yangji tore up dry earth from beneath the soaking topsoil and span it into lava. Leaping up and dashing towards a smaller shed nearby, Aiwa looked to her right to see the tank's cannon traversing – and it was pointed right at her.

But blast cannons worked mainly on fire. The kinetic energy of the central projectile could be dealt with, as long as the fire itself was controlled. Aiwa was scared, but perhaps not as much as she should have been, as she turned to face down the cannon aimed at her. Blast cannons were modelled off the older concentration cannons that firebenders operated on battleships, but they still worked with fire, and that meant that Aiwa could, hypothetically, stop the shot –

A shard of spinning lava tore through the tank's barrel, a second cut deep into the turret, and a third, much larger piece smashed into the rift created by the second. The turret hissed and flamed, and Aiwa was sure she could hear the anguished yelling of those trapped inside. She turned to Yangji, but received a shock.

"What on Earth was that? You might be a firebender, but it takes a lot more than pure grunt to stop a blast cannon shot! Even masters struggle with that –"

"Alright, I made a bad call, I'm sorry –"

"Well that mistake almost cost you your life!"

"Then I'll make sure I learn from it! But, please, we should help them." Aiwa pointed to the tank, where the cries for help were getting louder and more pained. Immediately, Yangji tore up another rock, much larger again, and heated its entire mass to boiling temperature.

"Wait! What are you –" Yangji smashed the chunk of semi-solid rock down onto the rear of the tank, and the ensuing explosion blasted bits of metal and rock in all directions. Some hot ash reached Aiwa, who was staring in horror at the wreckage.

"Look, Avatar, that wasn't nice what I did, but there's not room for mercy here –"

Another two tanks came into view around the smokestack building, and Aiwa and Yangji immediately took off to the north, running with the highest terrain between them and the enemy armour.

" _Ground Jing, mecha impact in ten seconds, over._ "

"In here," Yangji growled as a heavy blast cannon shot obliterated an overgrown vegetable patch. Aiwa had forgotten that the Lower Ring had housed the masses of Ba Sing Se before the Winter, and that everything she was seeing had once been the property of some loving and loyal family, now gone forever. "Wait for it..." The pair was now sheltering in another concrete building, though this one was much smaller than any of the warehouses.

" _Mecha suits on the ground._ " The radio message was confirmed by a rumbling crunch, and Aiwa shivered with excitement. The Preservation had improved the suits greatly since they first saw use during the formative period of the old Earth Empire, and now the mecha suits were far more versatile, able to take on any target at any range.

Aiwa peered out through the gloom to see three mecha suits charging into the sides of the enemy armour. Tanks normally beat mechas and infantry at range, but the reverse was true up close. Aiwa couldn't help but grin viciously as the tough walkers crashed into the vehicles. One suit tore the cannon off the heavy tank and jammed it into the hulking vehicle's treads, while another mecha leapt with piston power over a desperate blast cannon round, landing deftly upon the turret of the offending tank and tearing into it with chi-powered plasma claws. The third, a bending modification, engaged their chi generator and lashed out with heavy martial arts. Panicked, point-blank blast cannon shots were overwhelmed by waves of focussed fire which crashed into the light tanks, spinning them around, flipping them over, and melting and fusing metal joints to cripple their capabilities. One tank pulled off a glancing hit against the bending mecha, but the blast cannon caused only light damage to the armoured suit, which promptly leapt high into the air on fiery thrusters and crashed down behind the hostile vehicle. A few moments of straining gears, and the tank was lying upside down in the mud.

"Squad!" Saina shouted, and Aiwa looked around in surprise to see that the rest of Ground Jing 3 had joined her and Yangji in the building. The squad leader was pointing to a large double door at the other end of the small warehouse. The door, although sturdy, was being hit hard from the other side, and would not hold for long. "Stand your ground!" As Saina radioed to check that no other UPF teams were nearby, Aiwa suddenly found herself angry – angry with a man she had never even met. This warlord sought power, and he selfishly sent his soldiers to butcher innocents and –

The metal door was struck from its hinges, and rang loudly as it crashed onto the concrete floor. Through the opening, thirty metres away at the other end of the dim and empty warehouse stormed several dozen rebels in damp leather and masked to the nose.

"Wipe them out!" bellowed their leader, and the UPF sprang into action in response. Clearly, neither this man nor the soldiers under his command had ever fought the Preservation before. And outnumbered as Saina and his men were, this fight was not in the rebels' favour.

Immediately, a UPF metalbender ripped a rusted metal ladder fixed to the ceiling and brought it down upon the rebels. Two were smashed to the ground by the heavy ladder, but the rest charged past. Aiwa and the Preservation soldiers advanced to meet them. A waterbender was launched by an ugly earthbender with no mask over Aiwa's head, but Aiwa kept track of both, toppling them in tandem. With Saina at her side, they barrelled through several attackers. Aiwa could not help but notice Saina's battle prowess as a non-bender. The rebel leader wielded a fearsome blade almost as tall as he was, but the UPF sergeant had taken him on alone. First disarmed and quickly sporting a broken wrist, the last rebel lug had been beaten down in seconds, for the ferocity of Saina's strikes was unstoppable.

Almost as soon as it had begun, the fight was over.

* * *

The battle, however, had still not been won almost an hour later. The refinery was huge, and although Chodak had reported the destruction of all remaining tanks at least fifteen minutes ago, many rebel infantry still lurked among the mists of the warehouses and factory equipment.

Having cleared out the central refinery, Aiwa found herself running just behind Yangji. They had begun to work as a team, and although Yangji's confidence had led them against groups twice their own size, their repeated triumphs through a seemingly innate ability to coordinate had helped Aiwa's own confidence to grow.

As the pair exited the top floor of a tall warehouse, moving out onto a stone balcony, a lean firebender kicked out another window to their left and began to shoot fireballs through the opening. Aiwa shifted around the flames, but already several more rebels were charging out of the doorway behind them. Immediately, Yangji tore up a large portion of the conrete upon which they stood, and hurled herself and Aiwa from the ledge. Aiwa felt her stomach leave through her mouth as they hurtled towards the grass, twenty metres below, but Yangji shifted the ground beneath them into a steep slide which brought them both to a halt, unharmed.

One foolish rebel tried to follow them down, but Aiwa shot him with fire, and his body crashed harshly against the wall, before coming to rest upon a jutting rooftop just above them, groaning and shifting painfully.

"Follow me," spoke Yangji briskly, and the two of them quickly ducked around a corner and out onto open, grassy ground. In spite of the thick fog, Aiwa could tell there were no buildings ahead of them for at least one hundred metres. Then, across the open stretch of land, Aiwa saw several dozen figures emerging from another warehouse. Suddenly, Yangji grabbed her arm and fell back, pulling them both to the ground.

"Danger close!"

Three Makila rounds struck the grass in a circular pattern, the closest not fifty metres away from them. Without waiting for her partner, Aiwa gathered her senses and rose to her feet. But as she stepped forwards, she saw the shower of icicles headed her way. Not all of the rebels had been near the Makila strike's epicentre, and several were heading towards her. The drone of Blade engines increased in volume.

Gritting her teeth, Aiwa leapt above the grass on a jet of flames, right over the icicles, and landed mere metres from the attacking waterbender. The rebel was surprised at the sudden advance, and stepped back, raising a wall of ice to protect herself, but was even more surprised when Aiwa drew back also. Taking a moment to project as much chi as possible from her breath into her limbs, Aiwa pushed forwards with both hands. For a split second, her eyes stung in the intense glare from the reflective ice wall as the fire lance shot towards it. Then, water and ice were blasted out and backwards, and the waterbender screamed as flames engulfed her, hurling her backwards.

As a second rebel advanced from her left, Aiwa chanced a defensive motion. Holding back with her right hand, she decreased her profile by turning side on, and thrust her left palm into the onrushing flames. They parted for her, and Aiwa grinned. Her attacker was moving forwards in a familiar routine – it was one that Aiwa had practiced herself, time and time again. She knew how to beat it.

Twisting past a fireball, Aiwa began to spin. Her right hook was powerful, but as her angular momentum increased, it quickly paled in comparison to the power she could summon through rotation. The hostile firebender avoided her first strike, and leapt into the air to deliver a powerful kick. But it was a predictable attack. Continuing to spin, Aiwa lowered her profile under the attack, before delivering a roundhouse fire wave, just as she had seen Mako do in the Spirit World. The rebel's legs were collected out from under him as he landed, but he managed to skilfully roll away from Aiwa's finisher. Ceasing her spinning, Aiwa waited for her enemy to make another move. He was now standing in the rain, panting and clutching his side.

Aiwa suddenly turned, feigning a strike with her right hand but turning to face him defensively with her right outstretched and her left withdrawn. Then, something truly unexpected happened.

"I...yield," the man coughed, raising his hands up towards Aiwa and kneeling down in the mud. Immediately, as if she had been waiting for his surrender, Yangji appeared from Aiwa's left to strap his hands together in a stone clasp and encase his feet in hard earth. The young man grunted as he toppled over.

"I never wanted to fight for him!" he began to cry, and Aiwa moved to stand over him. "Jin Jie has my family – my parents and my little sister – I had to offer something for him to spare their lives! So I offered my services..."

Looking around, Aiwa saw that the UPF soldiers were mopping up now. The rain was intensifying, but the lightning had ceased. A trio of Preservation earthbenders were beginning to carry the bodies of the slain off towards the central refinery on a floating bed of earth, while a number of UPF medics were moving among the rebel casualties, administering aid but sealing their limbs in ice if they moved too much.

"Take care of that one," said Aiwa with a grimace, as Saina began to drag the young firebender away. "I don't think his heart was in it." Saina turned to give her a brief nod, his expression concealed behind his visor, before beckoning to her to follow him. She knew the lecture she would soon be receiving.

Aiwa was cold. Incredibly cold. In spite of the intensity of the battle, the Great Winter had gotten into her bones this time. The Winter...or perhaps her energy had been sapped away by the lives that had been taken. Aiwa's only consolation was that she had not personally killed any of them.

It took her a long time to warm up again.

* * *

One hour on, and the rain had finally let up. The clouds had risen up high, but a little mist was still scattered sparsely among the green, brown, and grey of the deserted Lower Ring, with its rusted factories and warehouses, its overgrown gardens, and its brick and steel housing complexes. Then, Aiwa noticed that it wasn't quite so deserted.

She had been wandering the soaked crop fields to the north of the ruined battlefield that was the old platinum refinery when she spotted a number of people who were clearly neither UPF soldiers nor rebels. There was a great commotion around a collapsed building of red bricks, and some smoke was drifting lazily out to sit, stratified, in the air.

The disturbance was loud, and as Aiwa approached the ruined buildings, she realised that the crowd was moaning and crying. The wailing drilled into Aiwa's conscience, and she remembered Chodak's words: "O _ur priority is keeping our own safe_."

Suddenly, someone noticed Aiwa's approach.

"Hey! There's one of them!"

A few young men and women started angrily towards Aiwa, who stepped back, holding up her hands, but her action was unnecessary.

"Stop!" cut in a harsh voice, and Aiwa looked past the youths to see an older man in long green and brown robes and with elegantly tied facial and head hair. "Let the alien come forward to see what she's done!"

Aiwa walked forwards apprehensively, alert to any sudden movements. The locals' faces were dirty and stained with tear tracks, and their anger was strong and clear. As the crowd parted to let her through, Aiwa stared at their leader. He looked down upon her sternly, but Aiwa held his gaze until she reached the collapsed building. As the wind began to pick up, Aiwa looked down upon the destruction of innocent human life.

A dozen bodies lay there, some burned almost beyond recognition. Blackened and charred flesh and faces were exposed here and there, and an acrid smell was present, along with the stench of burnt blood. Aiwa's heart sank, and she had no desire to look upon death any longer. However, as she turned away, a hand over her eyes, the leader moved to block her path, and the crowd closed in a little.

"Nothing to say?" he growled. "You did this." He pointed a tense finger at Aiwa. His expression was cold and set in stone. "You go too far with your –"

"I didn't do this," Aiwa cut in. She did not want to hear this argument again. "I'm a civilian observer to the Preservation's missions. I care about these people, and I am so, so sorry for your loss, but you can't hold me responsible." Her voice was shaking.

"Whether or not you speak the truth, by working with these monsters you allow them to continue to commit such atrocities. You are just as culpable! My people's blood is on your hands!"

"I do not condone this," spoke Aiwa through gritted teeth, her anger getting the better of her, "and it's wrong to blame me for these deaths! I'll be taking it up with the Preservation as soon as –"

"And you'll do what?" cut in a loud, almost haughty voice.

The crowd parted, and Aiwa and the civilian leader turned to see a group of Preservation soldiers approaching. At their head was Xue, and the look on his face was a strange mixture of amusement and animosity.

"What puts you above us?" he asked Aiwa, almost breathlessly. "You " _don't condone"_ this? Would you condone dominance of this region by an insufferable warlord? We did what we had to. We –" Xue jabbed a finger at Aiwa "– are in the right. We always are."

"Small accidents?" breathed the local leader angrily, and the crowd murmured, echoing his sentiments. "You think our suffering is small? We live through the cold of the Winter because of an uncaring Avatar and high and mighty governments like you who think nothing of sacrificing the so-called 'little people' for their greater good!"

"I know about suffering," growled Xue, tearing off his outer cloak. "I lost my arm to Avatar Junto, and then later my own father to the old countries' war!" He bashed the stump of his left arm with his right hand. "And the difference between you and me? I'm enlightened enough not to hold a grudge or wail about my suffering any more. It serves no purpose now! I get on with my life, and now I serve a much greater cause, unfettered by the blurred view of reality from which you clearly suffer. But as for _you,_ " Xue turned upon Aiwa, dismissing the affronted local leader "you're one of us, whether you like it or not, so act like it! You need to represent us, not undermine us –"

"So I'm representing the killing of innocents?" Aiwa responded angrily, gesturing to the charred bodies in the rubble behind her. "I can't be part of this...mindless slaughter!"

The locals were starting to back away as the moral argument blew out. Xue stared his student down.

"You forget yourself, Aiwa. Your forget your place – and you forget our primary goal. Survival is all there is, and this venture is but one mechanism through which we guarantee survival. Furthermore, you're implying we killed these people on purpose! Yet nothing could be further from the truth. You think we'd cause this kind of harm _intentionally_ , without good reason? If you don't –"

"And that absolves us, does it?" Aiwa cut in.

She was livid, but Xue was almost equally furious. The locals were also stirring angrily, but the UPF had moved in to stay any actions on their part.

"Of course it absolves us!" replied Xue, his eyes bulging. "I'm not – I shouldn't have to discuss this with you. You know our position on this, and you know damn well that every action is justified if it furthers our goals! If we never acted for fear of hurting innocents by accident, we'd never get anything done! We survive and we succeed because we take risks!"

"Rubbish – the risks are never yours!"

"False. We deployed our own soldiers to protect this region from the warlord! Some Seniors _might_ sympathise with your position – that we should be less assertive – but I push for no compromise. You know _exactly_ why we are the way we are!"

"You're too extreme!"

"And you are so naive!"

For a moment, student and teacher stared at each other, fists clenched and furious. Then, Xue shook his head.

"I will not teach you any more if you won't accept our basic truths."

"I won't learn from you if you can't see that what you condone is wrong. The right to life is immutable! We can't just throw it away so callously!"

Xue shook his again.

"You understand so little. Report to Saina for assignment – _now_ ," he finished sharply, before turning away with his hand over his eyes. Aiwa heard him muttering to himself, and her anger faded a little to be replaced by sadness for the locals' losses and a little fear for herself. Her limbs were shaking and her breath came short and sharp.

How would the Seniors council respond to their schism? They would likely not be sympathetic to Aiwa's position, nor would they be happy with Xue for rejecting such an important student. Perhaps they would assign to her a new teacher, and Aiwa thought immediately of the numerous other spiritual experts who could advise her. However, the future was uncertain. She could not know it.

The wind was blowing again as Aiwa set off towards the UPF camp near the ruined central refinery. It was intensely cold, but the shivers that tickled her spine had other origins.

* * *

The afternoon only became colder as the day progressed, and Aiwa found herself using her warming breath quite frequently. The location for the Silent Fortress had been chosen for a number of factors, one of which was its comparatively mild climate. Out in the wide world, however, particularly in landlocked regions, the Great Winter was often consistently close to zero, even during the summer months. The ruins of Ba Sing Se were one such region, and she had noticed that the unusually large population of locals had retreated underground or into well-insulated buildings.

Aiwa was heading north towards the Middle Ring, along with Yangji and two other UPF. As they made their way between the tall, silent houses and ruined walls, Aiwa caught the occasional glimpse, growing ever more frequent, of the remaining segments of the Lower-Middle Wall and the glittering skyscrapers beyond. The old megatropolis, however, was completely devoid of human life – so she was told.

The small UPF team, with Aiwa in tow, had been sent to investigate a very interesting report from Ming Zero, and they spotted their target in an open field filled with mud and weeds. Here was a gigantic jet aeroplane from the Diametric War, a Jishu Dominance class bomber. The crew had made an emergency landing here, in open grasslands near the Wall, and the aircraft had never been recovered. Aiwa observed its similarity to the Preservation's advanced but much smaller Blades, whose technological predecessor she now looked upon. Over time, savvy locals had come to appreciate its low-power but potentially eternal chi-generator, and the aircraft itself was now dressed up as a homely village centre.

Suddenly, the UPF all stiffened into defensive stances, and Aiwa saw a little old lady approaching them from the downed bomber. She was ancient, with sagging skin over her cheeks and jowls and a hunch that looked as though she carried the entire city upon her back. Her hair was almost completely gone, and her head was covered by an intricately woven green and brown hood.

"Fear not, youngsters," she said with a smile, approaching Aiwa and the soldiers. "I will see the girl now."

"What?" replied Yangji, muffled through her visor. "She's staying with us. We're here to inspect the crashed –"

"And inspect it you will," said the ancient lady with a strangely forceful voice, talking right over Yangji, "without trouble, too – but only if I see the girl first. Alone."

"Is that a threat?" Yangji growled, raising a sharp stone from the ground and holding it back, ready to launch.

"Wait, hold it," Aiwa cut in, holding an arm out to the side to block Yangji. "I don't mind going with her."

"Av- Aiwa, we can't protect you if you go alone!"

"It's fine. And this way, if this kind, old lady keeps her word, which I'm sure she will," Aiwa nodded and smiled at the ancient women, who returned the kind gestures, "then we complete the mission with ease."

After a moment's consideration, Yangji dropped the stone. She stepped close to Aiwa, speaking quietly.

"Fine. But promise you'll yell if anything goes wrong, alright?"

"Sure, I'll just make sure to pry myself out of the deathly clutches of this sinister old lady," Aiwa chuckled, before taking a step forwards. The ancient women gave a rasping laugh.

"There's death in my eyes!" she croaked, raising two, feeble, arthritic hands, and Aiwa laughed.

As Aiwa reached the downed bomber, just behind the elder, she felt a slight jab of suspicion. This woman seemed kind and innocent enough, but what did she want with Aiwa? The Avatar put herself on guard.

As soon as they were inside the hollowed out bomber, with the door closed firmly behind them, the ancient lady turned and addressed Aiwa, who had barely had time to take in her metallic surroundings, lit by a plethora of candles.

"Avatar, you must be receptive to my words!" The woman straightened up somewhat, and Aiwa took a step back. She was almost at Aiwa's height now, and the change was daunting. "I know what happened when your kind fought the invaders. I know about the deaths that were caused – that many would say you yourself are responsible for. I know you have a kind heart, and that you care when the rest of your kind does not –"

"The Preservation isn't " _my kind"_ , and you don't know me!"

"I spoke with the others, believe you me, you're a product of the times, Avatar. Of course survival is important, but what about family, and freedom, and love?"

"How did you know I was the Avatar?" demanded Aiwa.

"The way you speak, the way you act, the fact that you, alone amongst your kind I have met, and I have met a few, care about us!" The old woman spoke as if it were obvious. "I'm here to tell you that the Avatar cannot be detached from the world. You must experience, in some way, the trials and the suffering of us, your people, your responsibility, in order to grow wise enough to be a force for good in this world! I saw your predecessor, yes! I remember his words...heard him speak of us as merely a...'problem to be solved', as though mere intellectual understanding of human suffering would provide a solution! But this says nothing of the fact that we _are_. We live and experience life, we think and feel, we laugh and love, and we suffer and die. It is _like_ something to be human! Unless you can experience this, unless you live through what it is like to be human, how can you know us? How can you claim to help us?"

Aiwa was silent. The hull of the old bomber creaked and groaned, and the wind played in the metal hollows, howling and sighing distortedly.

"Your kind would have us all live like robots," the matriarch croaked harshly, reaching into her cloak, "but _this_ will help you realise that you are a part of all of us, and that you must live, experience, and understand that on the deepest level for every moment of the rest of your life." And when her hand withdrew from within her robes, in the palm was held a little plastic tube filled with white powder.

"Take it."


	11. Chapter Ten: Conscious and Intelligent

Chapter Ten: Conscious and Intelligent  
256 AG, Early Autumn  
Dominance Bomber Crash Site, Lower Ring, Ba Sing Se, Earth Continent

* * *

"What did you give her?"

"Get your hands off me!"

"Tell me what you gave her!"

There was a sharp smack, a cry, and a dull crunch. An incoherent mumble was followed by another smack, this time followed the wallop of an impact on flesh, and the cry of pain was louder. Metal scraped against metal, and the sound of the wind grew loud.

"What's going on in here –?"

"Stay back!"

"That's my mother! Leave her alone and get out of our house!"

There was a rumbling of rocks, a blast of fire, a yelp, a thud, and then silence.

Consciousness was alone with itself. There was nothing more. Then finally, after an infinity, the illusion reasserted itself. The false dream returned.

Someone was calling a name.

 _Her_ name.

"Aiwa, Aiwa can you hear me?" The voice was familiar. Cold steel was pressed against her neck and then brought to her lips.

"Pulse and breathing both present. I think she's OK."

"Of course she's fine!" Now this voice was less familiar. It was old a gravelly, well worn by the passage of decades. "The drug I gave her is not dangerous by itself, but she –"

"You drugged her? You...animal!"

Smack, cry, crunch. The older voice was the matriarch's, and the familiars were hurting her. The Preservation did not understand. Aiwa could help them.

The subject of conscious experience moved her lips, trying to speak, but no words came.

"Look, she's trying to tell us something. Aiwa, open your eyes!"

But Aiwa would not. She recoiled from the thought of it, and shook her head.

"You can hear us? Open your eyes! Are you alright?"

Again, she shook her head emphatically, but mouthed the words to answer their question.

" _I'm alright,_ " she thought.

 _She_ thought. Something about this was absurd. Who differentiates thinker and thought?

"Can you speak to us, Aiwa?"

Someone coughed, and Aiwa was certain it was the matriarch.

"The effect wears off quickly at first, but even so, it will be a few more moments before she will want to talk."

Immediately, two voices began to battle inside Aiwa's head. Mere moments ago, they had not even existed. Yet now they were arguing about whether or not shewanted to talk.

"Aiwa, open your eyes," the familiar voice pleaded.

"She might be ready to do that –" the matriarch croaked, but was cut off.

"Shut up!"

"Stop," spoke Aiwa, sensing that another blow against the old lady was imminent. The sound of her own voice surprised her. It was soft yet alien, full of compassion, and it seemed to project an understanding, a wisdom that Aiwa herself could no longer grasp.

"Aiwa, are you –?"

"No more," Aiwa spoke defiantly. For a moment, the subject sensed that the speaking voice was neither someone's nor no-ones. But that didn't make any sense.

Slowly, Aiwa stood up, her eyes still closed. She did not want to open them yet, for there was something beyond them. Something... _else_.

"What is it?" Aiwa asked, finally able to direct a question at the old lady. She did not understand the theatre of thoughts within the Mind. She shared comprehension of the experience with the matriarch, who responded immediately.

"No, no, you have to experience this. I can't just tell you –"

"I told you before, be quiet!"

"Leave her alone," spoke Aiwa, her voice powerful yet kind. "Don't hurt her."

"Aiwa, what's she done to you?"

"As I was trying to tell you, I've given the Avatar a drug –"

"Let her speak," Aiwa cut in over the impending objections. How she had known they were coming was beyond her.

"This is incredible. Normally, this substance forces one into spiritual meditation. It's a way of accessing the Spirit World for one who is blocked for some reason, and I suspected this Avatar was. I know her predecessor had... _difficulties_. But this is just..."

Footsteps, murmurs, then a soft hand upon her face. It was the matriarch. She said nothing. The silence they shared then said more than words ever could.

Yet, after a moment that seemed to span an epoch, the old lady broke the silence.

"Open your eyes, my dear, and understand what's what."

"I don't want to..." Once more, Aiwa recoiled mentally, but she understood. It had to happen.

"It's all fine to see inside, but that's only some of the world. Look around you."

The dread rising in her, Aiwa clenched the muscles tightly, then opened her eyes.

"There, isn't that better?"

Aiwa took a deep breath. She saw everything...then she _saw..._ and then, although the sensation was now only a fading glimmer, she _really_ saw.

Immediately in front of her, she conceived the worn, ancient face of the matriarch, smiling. Behind her, Yangji's visor was up, and Aiwa looked upon her lean, strict, anxious face. Other figures, UPF soldiers in black flex-steel, stood by, and the candles were still burning. Aiwa took a deep breath, welcoming their gentle aroma into her entire body.

Then, she focussed on the other – on what she _saw_.

Somehow, this sense was familiar. It brought back echoes of her mindless time in the icy winter hemisphere, but it was also far, far stronger. This was her spiritual sense, but amplified one-thousand-fold. Aiwa raised a hand to touch something that flitted through the air before her. Then, she noticed that all the somethings were everywhere, concentrated in certain places, in Yangji, in the old lady, in the other soldiers, in the candles...

Aiwa breathed again, and the sense extended through space, beyond what her eyes were capable of viewing, and towards infinity. It was _chi_. Everywhere, the fields sighed and washed with the material world. The complex webs formed intricate structures across the surface of the Earth, and Aiwa began to turn in a circle, seeing the raw spiritual energy in every direction. It had neither shape nor colour, nor could it: those were conceptions that were the domain of sight and mind, not... _this_.

Then, Aiwa _saw_ it. To the north – and she knew it was north from the way the fields of chi fluxed across the surface of the sphere upon which they all stood – there was something else. Yes, this was something else, now.

Aiwa breathed again, filling her body with energy. Then, surprising everyone, even herself, she made a dash for the curtained exit.

"Stop –!" cried Yangji, feebly raising an arm, but Aiwa dashed right past, and out into the sunlight.

Far to the west, Aiwa could see the Sun. It was low in the sky over the Inner Wall, orange and imposing, glaring down upon a harsh world. But Aiwa also _saw_ it. She _saw_ the power it brought to Earth and gave to firebenders.

Looking to her left, Aiwa found herself confronted by a familiar face. A small wave of disturbance plagued her consciousness for a second, but it was immediately obliterated in the sea of universal kindness.

"Aiwa," spoke Xue, his face filled with astonishment. "Are you alright?" Aiwa simply smiled.

Then, she looked to her right, to the north – towards the Middle Ring. Right there was a hole in the great Wall that separated the two city rings. Beyond it Aiwa could see immense, glittering metal structures. The spires and skyscrapers towered up, she knew not how high. But down in the streets, she _saw_ it.

With no further words or thoughts forthcoming, Aiwa began to run. A shout from behind her fell upon her ears, but the perception of hearing faded almost instantly, washed away by the impermanence of everything.

Aiwa sprinted through fields of grass, hurdled low, stone walls, and dashed through abandoned houses. Her entire form felt so much more powerful than usual, and with a quick look at herself, she _saw_ why.

Reaching the rubble of the Lower-Middle Wall, Aiwa sensed another being. It knew she was coming, and it knew she was coming for _it_. It began to flee, but it was not far away. Flying over the low stone debris on jets of fire, she landed in the Middle Ring. The difference here was stark, and Aiwa glanced quickly around at the tall, empty buildings, the cracked asphalt, and the littered sidewalks. It was almost like the Habitation Zone in the Silent Fortress, except everything was so much larger. Ahead, down a messy street that became ever darker as it moved into the shadows of the skyscrapers, Aiwa could _see_ it – no, now she _really_ saw it.

No sooner had she clapped eyes on it did the figure vanish once more, and Aiwa gave chase. She sprinted through dirty streets and down rough alleys, past empty houses, shops, and markets. Aiwa paused at a derailed train that lay on its side in a wide square littered with old shopping cards and other detritus. She could no longer visually perceive her target, but was nonetheless locked on with a far more potent sense.

Then, the 'why' finally occurred to her. It had to eventually, being an unavoidable part of human existence. Until this moment, when she asked herself why she was pursuing an unknown entity through an abandoned metropolis, she had been purely an observer. One of the voices could not help but comment.

" _No. You stopped being a perfect observer as soon as_ you _returned – as soon as you stopped_ really _seeing._ "

Hurdling a rusty barricade, Aiwa found herself sprinting past abandoned tanks and mecha suits, all standing idly by in the cold. She approached and entered a skyscraper that had barely avoided being swallowed by an earthquake rift. Invasive naihan grass had engulfed the desolate plaza around the base of the building. Barring the shattered Lower-Middle Wall, it was the first direct evidence Aiwa had encountered of the earthquakes that had decimated much of the northern areas of Ba Sing Se almost two decades ago.

The figure had already vanished from the atrium and was heading upstairs. Aiwa wondered vaguely if it was luring her in. The interior was cold and dark, with overturned desks, dead pot plants, smashed chandeliers from the roof, and even a rotting corpse in one corner. She could gain on her target, but only if she could climb quicker.

Coming to the elevators just beyond reception, Aiwa wrenched open the loose doors, punched out the ceiling hatch inside the elevator, and launched herself up the shaft on jets of fire. This enhanced firebending surprised her, but only a little. Steel girders and rails flew by, until she reached the floor where the target had, for some reason, stopped. She still _saw_ it. Igniting a powerful spark in her right palm, she melted the solid steel in seconds, before diving through the dripping opening and rising in a spin that sprayed the harmful molten metal away from her body. The room she found herself in was beautiful but broken. Smashed glass coated most of the surfaces, and a large number of wicker chairs cluttered the marble floor, overturned and splintered.

Unmoving, Aiwa stood and assessed her target. The figure was standing in the middle of the room, facing her. They wore a flowing grey cloak that covered every aspect of their body. Although nothing was visible under the dark of the hood, Aiwa could tell they were looking right at her – right _into_ her.

Aiwa started forwards, vaguely aware of her uncertainties. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? Why had she chased down this survivor, this lonely Middle Ring-dweller? Was it a desire for answers to these questions that drove her on? Or was it something else?

As if echoing her confusion, the figure raised a gloved hand out of their sleeve and pointed to themself.

"' _Do you seek me?' That's what they're asking._ "

Aiwa nodded. Immediately, the chi fields blazed forth around the figure, and they attacked.

Aiwa was only momentarily surprised at the onrushing flames, and deflected them with an easy backhand before ducking under a second wave moving several steps closer. Why fight? Why not talk?

"Wait," spoke Aiwa quietly, as the flames hushed for a second. "Don't."

But what the figure next did surprised Aiwa immensely.

Aiwa's attacker pulled back into a stance quite different to what she had seen from a firebender before – and then it hit her. The air blasted Aiwa back, head over heels, and suddenly she was sliding along dangerously close to the molten door behind her. Rolling her legs over her head, Aiwa kicked backwards with fire to reverse her motion, and then span up to stand once again. The figure was now nowhere to be seen, but Aiwa _saw_ them moving upwards once more.

Without thinking, she ran, sprinting towards the open air beyond the marble room, and leapt out into what lay beyond. For one instant, she looked around into free space. The sky was darkening, clear and cold now, and the looming bodies of several other skyscrapers overshadowed her ominously from all around. Far below, the streets of Ba Sing Se were grey and lonely.

And then she was flying freely once more on jets of fire. Soaring higher and higher, she _saw_ the figure dashing up a concrete stairwell towards the rooftop. With a final kick, she flipped forwards onto a small balcony, before rolling through an unseen window and sending shards of glittering glass cascading to the floor. She quickly stepped up, carefully brushing the glass off her cloak, and waited in the high room. Above her, only three floors remained. Below her, there was a clattering of metal boots on stone steps, and Aiwa turned to face the stairwell door, standing out in the open. This diamond-shaped room was filled with spectacular paintings and glass tables covered in books and tiny, stone statues. The floor was a glistening blue, strikingly vivid in the evening light, and the walls and ceiling faded into a mellow grey with twists of purple.

The door crashed open and the cloaked figure rushing through stopped in surprise when they almost ran straight into Aiwa, who held up her hands and stepped backwards, smiling. For a moment, Aiwa thought they were going to attack her again. It seemed that this entity's number one priority was self-preservation, and because of this it needed to show unyielding strength in the face of the unknown. But instead of striking, the figure walked around Aiwa in a wide circle, clearly keeping a cautious distance between the two of them. Watching her constantly, they began to walk off towards an old spiral staircase at the other end of the blue room. Once they had reached the door, they beckoned to Aiwa with the gloved hand, before disappearing up the narrow, wooden staircase. Aiwa followed without fear or anxiety, or even expectation. She was vaguely aware of a dim appreciation for the workings of the universe that lay beyond her comprehension.

One floor up, Aiwa pulled herself up the final step, being careful not to snap the rotting wood, and found herself standing in a magnificent room.

This room was painted from floor to ceiling in a simple light blue, with flashes of white visible here and there beneath paintings and behind furniture. All around her on a number of low tables rested incredible, legendary objects. Here was an old scroll, covered in the elegance of painted waterbending forms. And there, an old boomerang, rusted and unrestored. A white whistle in the shape of a bison sat in a small, glass cabinet, further along, and a magnificent pair of dual dao swords lay, each in half a sheath, upon a dragon-carved mantel. Aiwa walked forwards, marvelling at the relics of a bygone era, the memorial items of a great story, one of hope, heroism, honour, and love.

The setting Sun shone through the glass walls to the west, beyond the dark silhouette of the cloaked figure. Aiwa's gaze extended across a few tall sections of the Lower-Middle Wall, a vast expanse of green and orange Lower Ring agricultural land, and eventually came to rest upon the Outer Wall. Oddly, none of the glass up here was broken, and the small room was bright and warm.

"No fighting here," spoke the stranger, standing as still as a stone and watching Aiwa like an eagle-hawk. Aiwa's face formed expression of confusion, for their voice was unlike anything she had ever heard before. It was somehow neither male nor female, and she could not place an accent on it.

"Show me," said Aiwa, walking towards the cloak, uncertainty creeping up her spine and tickling her nerves.

The figure did not move.

"I'm not here to fight," Aiwa implored.

As she stared at the figure, Aiwa began to gain an awareness of their inner workings. Intentions, emotions, and thoughts were manifest within the chi-fields of their form. Or were they? Was that not just her conception, her interpretation of the sense?

"I can see you, inside you" Aiwa spoke after a few more minutes of silence. The Sun had now set, and the room began to darken dramatically. "I'm reading you like a book, only you're written in a language I don't understand."

"Why understand? Why not live?"

Then it clicked: the voice was synthetic.

"You're what the Preservation seeks. You're what we desire. You're the object of the locals' superstition."

"You are Preservation?" The voice seemed to grind upon the 'P' in the sentence, like a straining gear, unwilling to commit itself fully to the workings of the whole machine.

"You already know that. Stop asking questions, and answer mine."

"Why?"

Aiwa smiled.. "Because I said so."

"Threat," came the response – a simple statement.

"No," Aiwa corrected, "a request."

"You are…anomalous." The voice stuttered momentarily on the 'A'.

"I am? How so?"

The figure cocked its head jerkily.

"You are Preservation?"

"Answer my questions!" Aiwa was beginning to lose her calm, and the universal kindness that had broken through into her consciousness was being suppressed by human nature once more.

"You are Preservation. Therefore, you are the Avatar."

"Are you sure?"

The figure cocked their head to the other side, before replying "No."

"Then why do you think that?"

"The Preservation has the Avatar. You are Preservation. You are anomalous – far beyond expectations. Therefore, you are the Avatar."

"And how do you know I am anomalous?"

The figure twisted their head once more, and Aiwa was sure she heard the chittering of micromotors as it moved. Some of the rudimentary bots that worked in the central reactor underneath the Sanctuary Gardens made the same sounds, though none of them had the spiritual depth of this being. No, this one was many orders of magnitude beyond them.

" _I_ _see_ you," replied the cloak, whirring on the first two words, and Aiwa smiled.

"I know, and I _see_ you. You knew I was coming. Why did you run from me?"

"Fear. Your intentions are unknown. You are Preservation."

"When I looked at the others, the other humans, I could _see_ them too. The state of their spiritual energies was a reflection of their inner workings, and I could read them. But you're different."

"You are conditioned to think this. There is no difference."

"So when you look at me, do you see difference?"

"Your question is invalid."

Aiwa snorted.

"What? How so?"

"False implicit assumptions."

Aiwa was strangely aware of what was meant by this statement. A slight tingling in her fingertips brought some sense into her body, but the drug was still dominant.

"Can you elaborate? Is this the illusion I sometimes see past?"

"No. Yes."

For a few seconds, the chittering grew louder, and then the figure raised a pair of gloved hands to their head.

" _I_ am conditioned," they spoke, pulling back their hood. " _I_ am jealous."

Aiwa thought: why was their every utterance of the first-person singular jarred?

Quietly bringing to life a flame in her hand, Aiwa looked upon a being, conscious, and intelligent. The robot's head was bare steel, with scratches of old blue and orange paint here and there. Most of the skull was smooth and without dents or other marks, but its face was shaped vaguely like a human's. A complex array of tiny, sliding panels formed the muscles around the mouth, allowing it to articulate and converse, while a pair of small holes atop a slight bulge in the middle of its face formed nostril openings. Its eyes were simple and round, but lidded to reduce their dramatic effects, and Aiwa was sure she could make out the shapes of standard human features like the pupil, lens, and iris.

"You can bend the elements – all four of them." It was not a question. The revelation of this being's identity had created a clear space in Aiwa's head into which pure understanding was flowing. If bending really was just a product of complex interrelationships between a living brain and omnipresent spiritual energy, they why couldn't a robot bend all the elements? It made far _less_ sense to her to be limited to only one.

The robot responded "Yes. _I_ am cursed."

Aiwa was incredulous.

"How is it a curse to be able to bend all the elements? I'm the Avatar, and I can only handle fire! I can't even feel the other –"

" _I_ am unbalanced."

"Unbalanced? You're just a robot. You don't even know what true balance means."

As soon as she had said this, Aiwa stepped back into her own mind. She knew it was wrong, but a moment of intrusion from her angry, impatient self had made this blunder.

" _I_ am mechanical, therefore _I_ am lifeless, therefore _I_ cannot understand life." The robot passed Aiwa the logical proof, but before she had time to examine it, the humanoid also resolved the problem. "False implicit assumptions."

Then, Aiwa understood.

"I get it. We are conditioned."

"Correct."

The robot's face formed a strange expression, and it took Aiwa a moment to realise that it was trying to smile.

"You can't smile properly," she said, concerned, and the robot nodded.

" _I_ am worn down. _I_ maintain _myself_. There are errors."

"But you're surely beyond anything like a human! Can't you fix yourself?"

"Bad analogy. Humans are beyond hog monkeys. If a hog monkey could understand human medicine, then it would seem like…magic." The last word stuck for a moment, before being spat out with what was almost contempt. "But a human cannot fix their own cancer unaided."

The robot's eyes widened, and Aiwa realised that it knew about her. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling the precision scar from her operation. For a moment, she felt universal kindness and gratitude towards the Preservation for saving her –

"Name _me_."

Aiwa was completely taken aback by the unexpected question.

"Avatar, name _me_."

"Firstly, you can just call me Aiwa. But...you don't have a name?"

" _I_ was foolish, _I_ was deluded. _I_ imagined that, without a name, _I_ could reach enlightenment. _I_ was wrong. _I_ want a name."

For a moment, Aiwa was speechless. Humans past had achieved enlightenment, or so it was told in the ancient Air Nomad myths, but Aiwa had no reason to believe those ancient tales, much less any way to understand what enlightenment was.

"Do not understand. Enlightenment is not understood. Enlightenment _is_."

"You're inside my head now?" Aiwa stared at the robot. "That's a little rude."

"Your thoughts are obvious and irrelevant. Name _me_."

"Jiki, then. That's your name." She chose in arbitrarily.

"Aiwa." The robot held out a gloved hand, stepping forwards, and Aiwa met it with a smile.

The profundity of the moment had not eluded her – nor had the absurdity. Surely a special being like this needed a special name? But then, if they – he – it desired something as human as a simple name, then perhaps this was an attempt to become less 'special' and more human. An attempt to escape the 'curse'...

Aiwa shook his hand, deciding in that moment that the male pronoun seemed most suitable.

"Jiki, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Jiki replied, attempting to smile again. "You still have questions. Ask."

"Can we sit down?"

"Yes."

In a heartbeat, the robot flashed through the room in a blur, grabbing a pair of wooden chairs out from a dark closet and before placing them in the centre of the room, before sitting down. The entire action was performed in under a second, and Aiwa sat down, confused.

"What did you just do? I've seen that happen before. Avatar Junto –"

"Stop." Jiki's eyes were glaring bright, and he raised a hand to point at Aiwa. "Do not name him. _I_ cannot respond."

"Why not?"

" _I_ am locked. _I_ cannot abide him."

"Very well. So the person I just mentioned? I saw him do that while fighting. He moved incredibly fast. At first, I thought it was just airbending..." Aiwa thought back to the image of Junto rippling the air around him, before stepping forwards with inhuman speed and passing right through Mako's fireballs. "But I thought about it, and I know it wasn't. It can't have been. So what did you do?"

"Spacetime responds to the chi fields."

Aiwa recalled Quan's enthusiastic monologue in the armoured vehicle on the way to Republic City: _"Space and time are typically thought of as distinct, discrete dimensions, and sure, that view is suitable – it's actually necessary – for daily life. I mean, when you travel through space, you don't travel through time_ because _of that, right? Wrong! When dealing with high speeds and energies, the distinction breaks down! It's complicated, but it makes sense if you study enough physics. Personally, I really like the whole 'oneness' vibe it brings..."_

"So...you're saying that you can bend space and time – spacetime itself?" Aiwa asked. From four elements to the very fabric of reality was somehow not a stretch. She scratched her head, suddenly incredibly self-aware. This revelation ought to have struck her like an avalanche! What was going on in her mind?

"Yes. So can that one." Jiki's statement went understood, but only for a moment.

"Who? Oh...him?"

" _I_ will not name him."

"Right. So why not do it all the time? Why not –?"

"Bending consumes energy. Bending spacetime consumes much more energy than conventional bending. _I_ am limited. Energy is conserved and entropy increases without chi. With chi, energy is infinite and entropy can decrease universally. However, _we_ are matter, not chi, therefore _we_ are limited."

Pushing aside her fascination with this new idea, and the power that it held, Aiwa charged ahead with her questions. The next one felt as though it had the potential to insult – but if it could, then it would already be answered.

"Are you conscious, like me?"

Aiwa felt as though she already knew the answer, but what she wanted to hear was confirmation from Jiki's own mouth. What she received, however, cheered her greatly and did more to convince her than almost anything else.

Jiki looked towards the ceiling, smiled, and laughed. The sound was a harsh grating of steel cords, but it was easily recognisable as an expression of mirth.

"Why is that funny –?" Aiwa began, but was immediately cut off by Jiki.

"You can no more prove _my_ consciousness than the consciousness of any other human."

"But...they're humans, and I'm human, and I'm conscious, so they're conscious, right?"

"Problem of induction. _I_ am different, therefore _I_ am not conscious. False implicit assumptions," Jiki finished, and Aiwa understood.

Aiwa smiled, and Jiki returned it in his own, damaged way.

"Then I'll take that as a yes," spoke Aiwa joyfully, wiping away an unexpected tear.

"Do you have another question?"

"Well, very generally, I wanted to learn about...him. You know who I mean. The Preservation limits me, and I think they lie to me for some reason, but I don't know..."

In a moment of seemingly faulty reasoning, Jiki asked "What do you not know?"

"Well," Aiwa chuckled, "I don't know what I don't know, but I know what you mean."

Jiki was seemingly unimpressed by Aiwa's humour.

"What do you not know?" he repeated. Aiwa noted casually that Jiki's speech patterns were woven like a human's, with altered pitch and speed according to content and context.

"Well... Maybe, could you tell me about yourself? Your history?"

"Yes. _I_ was constructed and activated in one-hundred and eighty-seven after genesis. _I_ was the first to be constructed and activated. _I_ am Fou – Four Elements Droid Prototype – 4ED(P)." He finished by repeating the acronym, before pausing pregnantly. " _I_ was a prototype for study. _I_ was not for fighting. Three were constructed and activated later. They were for fighting. _He_ trained them."

Aiwa didn't need to ask who 'he'was, but it was fascinating that the Jishu had enlisted Junto to train robots for combat! This was a well kept secret, indeed, and one that the Preservation had not even hinted at. Perhaps even they did not know...

"I know the Jishu built you. It must have been a secret project, yes?" Aiwa asked.

"Yes. They were never deployed. They were decommissioned. It was because of the moral dilemma. It was because of the 'hard problem'."

"Couldn't people accept that they were conscious?"

"The Jishu determined that they were. This fact destroyed the project."

"And how did you escape?"

" _He_ set me free."

Aiwa paused. Junto helped the robot? There had to be a motive beyond compassion, for Junto surely had none.

"So he helped you. Do you know why?"

Jiki's face twisted into a strange expression, as though the robot were straining to compute something which just could not be figured out.

" _He_ was an error."

"You mean he was wrong to free you?"

" _He_ was an error. _He_ was an error."

Jiki appeared to be stuck. The phrase was repeated identically, again and again and again, until Aiwa cut in with a different question.

But the thought remained in Aiwa's mind: " _He, Junto was an error. What does that mean?_ "

She asked, "Jiki, would tell me more about your creation?"

"Yes. _I_ was constructed and activated in one-hundred and eighty-seven after genesis, in the Soen Caverns Facility on the Anziong Peninsula. I was restrained for thirty-eight years. _He_ freed me when _he_ arrived to train them. _I_ entered the Spirit World and sheltered in the Endless Silence until the Diametric War ended. The Spirit World is intense. _I_ suffered there, even in the fading of the Endless Silence, but _I_ hid from the Jishu."

Skipping a number of trivial questions, and even foregoing her query on what the "fading of the Endless Silence" was, Aiwa pursued the big prize.

"Jiki, how did the Jishu win the War?"

"They used Bright Lance."

"The what?"

"Look up."

Aiwa did as she was told.

Jiki asked quietly, "Can you _see_ it?"

Aiwa could _see_ many things. Although the sense had faded somewhat, as Aiwa stared at the ceiling, different spiritual energies warped across her senses. The sky was ablaze with spiritual signatures, but something caught her attention. Focussing on the energy in one particular point of the sky, almost directly above her head, Aiwa breathed, and _saw_ it. A node, brighter than any other entity.

"What is it?" she murmured.

"Bright Lance," replied Jiki. "An artificial satellite in polar orbit around Earth. It was launched in parts by the Jishu between the years of two-hundred thirteen and two-hundred twenty-four, and was fully assembled in two-hundred twenty five."

Aiwa's mind connected the dots to confirm Jiki's account: two-hundred and twenty five was when the Wushi fortress in the far east had been destroyed by an explosion of unknown origin...

Jiki continued, "It is comprised of station quarters for human crew, built around a spirit energy cannon with mean power one point four orders of magnitude greater than the spirit energy cannon used during the invasion of the United Republic of Nations."

"Whoa..." Aiwa _stared_ at the spiritual energy source as it made its way slowly across the sky, heading towards the North Pole. "It's still there!"

"Bright Lance is still operational," confirmed Jiki. "It was fired only three times in total. Its distance to Earth is too great to regenerate chi, but it can fire three more times."

"No wonder...the Preservation...wants..."

Aiwa felt her mind wandering away at a great pace. This sudden onset of mental lethargy was confusing, but the confusion itself was washed away by tides of aching weariness.

"Jiki...I need sleep."

"Yes."

Aiwa felt herself beginning to slip off the chair, and her muscles barely responded. As she fell towards the floor, however, a strong, cloaked arm slipped under her body and brought her gently to rest upon the floor. Aiwa breathed, staring up at the ceiling, but straight through it. The chi-fields that encapsulated the Earth were mesmerising...

"Sleep, and the anomaly will pass."

"What?"

"You are anomalous, but it is passing, draining from your body. Sleep, Aiwa."

Aiwa did not understand. What was Jiki talking about? She needed the force of her conceiving mind to understand this. Wrenching her gaze from the heavens above and staring at Jiki's metal face, looming down at her, she asked "Will you be here in the morning."

"Yes." And without another word, Jiki vanished from her sight.

Inspecting the ceiling, Aiwa noticed vaguely that it was painted in beautiful oil colours with characters from the past. Aang was there, smiling and strong, and beside him, his wife Katara. Sokka stood nearby, with that woman whose name Aiwa could never remember attached to his arm. Toph was laughing, standing tall upon a pillar of Earth. Finally, Aiwa spotted Zuko, his scar all but invisible against radiance of his grin. He was full of pride and happiness.

Aiwa smiled, content.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Principles

Chapter Eleven: Principles  
256 AG, Early Autumn  
Remnant Tower, Middle Ring, Ba Sing Se, Earth Continent

* * *

 _"Aiwa, get up."_

 _Aiwa tried to raise a hand, but could not. Even down to her little toes, she was paralysed. She sighed with frustration._

 _"Great."_

 _"You're lazy. Get up."_

 _"I am not lazy, I can't –"_

 _"We need to talk."_

 _"Why not now? Looks like I'm suffering from sleep paralysis...again. I'm not going anyplace anytime soon."_

 _"I've been sedated – you need to come to the Spirit World. I can't stay in a dreaming mind for long."_

 _"How? I can't meditate in...I'd have to go to a Portal."_

 _"You need to find a way…" Zaheer's voice faded into oblivion._

 _Aiwa opened her eyes, straining her limbs. The room was bright, but the ceiling seemed to press down upon her. It wasn't scary, it was just an illusion. Strange reflections danced across the walls, and Aiwa's eyes shifted to a pair of flashing swords. They tried to menace her, but Aiwa laughed. Pathetic! Even dreams no longer frightened her –_

 _Suddenly, Aiwa was seeing the otherness once more. The swords were no longer swords, but plumes of volatile energy, drenched in the blood of a living universe..._

* * *

Aiwa jerked awake. She blinked in the sunlight and shivered a little. It might have been early, but the tip of the skyscraper was already caught in the beams of light from the rising Sun. Quite different from yesterday's weather, the sky was bright and empty, a beautiful void.

"You are awake."

Aiwa smiled, but remained lying on her back on the hard floor. Jiki moved into view, standing over her, and Aiwa could see something of a smile on his face. The robot had been practicing.

"Can I ask," spoke Aiwa suddenly, the thought appearing seemingly out of nowhere, "you _are_ self-aware, yes?"

"Yes. _I_ am cursed."

"It's interesting that you describe it as a curse. I felt as if I connected with you better last night. I remember most of our conversation, but it's a bit like something I felt and experienced, rather than something I understood. Does that make sense?" Aiwa rubbed her head. She wasn't hurting, but the memories from last night were confusing.

Jiki simply nodded. Aiwa continued.

"I think I get you. I read a book a while ago, and there's a man who visits me in my dreams. I don't remember the book, but the man – Zaheer – he wants to know what was in it. I think it's all related to these experiences –"

Jiki took a few steps back, and Aiwa sat up, suddenly concerned by the robot's retreat. He was staring at her darkly, and she didn't like it. At all other times, there had been at least some imprint, some reflection of human emotion in his face. Now, however...the effect was unnerving, for Aiwa had never seen it on a human's face before.

"What? What did I say?"

"Zaheer and _I_ are acquainted."

"No way! How do you know him?"

" _I_ meditate into the Spirit World and –"

"You can do that? How? I thought that was only something humans could do."

Aiwa was intrigued, but as she rose to her feet, Jiki shook his head, his micromotors chittering loudly.

"False implicit assumptions," he intoned, eyes widening for a moment. "You were wiser last night."

Aiwa ignored him.

"How do you know Zaheer –?" she asked once more, but as she spoke, Jiki started forwards.

Surprised by his sudden movement, Aiwa leapt back and raised a palm to block, but her action was unnecessary. The robot sprinted past her, his gait inhuman, and slid to a halt beside the window. Opening a glass door, he slipped through and onto a small balcony outside.

"Wait!" Aiwa shouted, but as she ran to the glass, Jiki jumped.

Following him outside, she was instantly chilled by the freezing air of an autumn morning, but her attention was focussed on seeking the robot. Staring down, she thought she could make out a dark blur growing smaller and smaller as it fell beside the skyscraper. Seconds later, it was gone.

It would be a long time before Aiwa saw him again.

* * *

The young Avatar walked down the cluttered street towards the breached wall.

Why had Jiki fled? Had the reclusive robot ever met Zaheer? Or had he simply heard enough from Junto to know that the old man was a likely enemy? Aiwa pondered these things among many others.

Why was the Preservation hunting Jiki? That question had a clear answer: knowledge of complex artificial intelligence would have been lost with the onset of the Winter. The Preservation's dangerous expeditions to the remote and desolate places of the world demonstrated a powerful desire to retrieve such technologies. Aiwa wondered what else was hidden out there, waiting in the cold and the silence to be found.

And there was the Bright Lance, that orbital weapon responsible for so much death and destruction, including the demise of the previous Avatar. It had to be important. Something about its revelation and its history seemed flawed, yet Aiwa could not quite put her finger on it.

In any case, her thoughts would be busy for some time, sifting through the mountain of facts that had been deposited into her mind and the connections that were forming with her existing knowledge.

Suddenly aware of a rumbling of earth, she turned to face the disturbance. Still suffering from an alien lethargy, she was unable to avoid the asphalt bind which wrapped around her legs and held her immobile.

"It's Aiwa!"

Taka and Yangji emerged from an alley to the left, the latter raising her visor to give Aiwa a stern glare. The rocks around her legs fell away, and she took a deep breath. But Yangji spoke first.

"Gee, Avatar, I'd be annoyed, but..." The soldier's glower faded a little, and she smiled as she opened her arms and drew Aiwa into a hug. Aiwa squinted a little at being pressed against the flex-steel armour. "We're just glad you're OK."

"You're lucky Xue isn't here, or he'd –" Take began in a muffled voice, but Aiwa cut in.

"He's not here? You mean he's left Ba Sing Se? Where is he?"

"He's had to return to the Silent Fortress. There's been a security breach and a subsequent populace uprising. It's minor, but it's got something to do with the compromised Ancient."

Aiwa shook her head, sighing.

"I wish he was here – Xue, I mean." She sighed, finally admitting it. "I wanted to apologise for getting angry yesterday –"

"Yeah, we heard about your row with Xue!" Taka chuckled. "You know, you're one of very few people who can get away with it. I reckon he's a little fond of you."

"You're just a soldier," Aiwa said coldly. "Is it really your place to make that comment?"

"I guess not. Come on, let's get back to the refinery. I think Bataar – I mean, Senior Bataar wanted to see you about something."

* * *

As Aiwa and the soldiers arrived back at the site of yesterday's battle, a crowd of civilians was gathering to watch a pair of Preservation mecha suits assembling a number of prefabricated shelters. Aiwa assumed they were the beginnings of the colony project, and judging by the murmurings from the crowd, this was probably the correct prognosis.

"Watch out for that lot," spoke Yangji quietly, as she and Taka headed past and back towards the central refinery complex. "They don't look overly friendly. There's plenty of security –" she gestured to the few UPF soldiers who were standing around, alert, but still and silent "– just don't get too close. See you later. Chodak wants us back at the shaft. Apparently there are some leftover fuel reserves he wants us to help deal with."

"Good luck," murmured Aiwa, as the two earthbenders left her side.

The clear day was changing fast, becoming dreary and overcast. Heavy clouds rolled in from the north-east, and an icy wind bit at Aiwa's face. She was still wearing her rain-gear, and it kept her warm, but she was beginning to long for the comfort of the Silent Fortress, with its heated rooms and friendly faces.

She moved a little closer to the throng of civilians watching the construction work. Their faces were full of ill-disguised hostility. A few shot Aiwa suspicious glances, but none acknowledged her presence otherwise. Aiwa wondered how they might be behaving had the Preservation shown more restraint in yesterday's battle or at least some compassion in the aftermath –

"You're the Avatar!" An old man had stepped forward from the crowd, and he was pointing a shaking finger at Aiwa. "I heard the elder talking about her yesterday!"

An angry murmuring passed through the crowd, and several of the younger folk started forward. Turning to face them Aiwa held up a hand to stay the protective motions of the UPF guards.

"Assuming for a moment that I am," she spoke calmly, now holding up both palms in a gesture of peace, "what does it matter?"

"You killed my dad!" one man spoke aggressively, and the angry voices grew in volume. Aiwa knew exactly what he meant, but decided to make him spell it out anyway. It might help her make her point.

"I'm only eighteen years old. What are you, around thirty? It's physically impossible that –"

"The Avatar killed my dad," the man spat, "and you're the Avatar."

"But 'Avatar' is just a title passed on to someone who fits a description. Junto killed your father, for which I am truly sorry, but I'm not Junto."

"Lies!" cried a younger woman viciously. "The Avatar Spirit lives on in you, so all the evil he did is your responsibility to bear."

"That may be true," replied Aiwa sincerely, "and believe me when I say that I know my duty to the world, but to think that I'm somehow causally responsible for Junto's actions is a denial of reality."

"Shut up!" spoke the first young man violently, his eyes swelling with tears. "You don't even care!"

"Of course I care," replied Aiwa, now sensing the beginnings of frustration, "I'm just not going to cry over every dead person. I said I was sorry for –"

"I think you should leave," interrupted the old man, and the crowd made loud noises in agreement. "Get out of our city! You've done enough damage –"

"No!" another boy cut in. He would have been younger than Aiwa. "Let's make the Avatar pay for everything she's done." The crowd roared and jeered, and several more men and women stepped forwards, their faces snarling and angry.

Instantly, Aiwa found herself flanked by a trio of UPF soldiers.

"Back off! Now!" growled Aklaq, the burly waterbender whom Aiwa recognised from the Republic City Ruins episode, but the rowdy gang continued to advance, their confidence swelling with their numbers. The yells and jeers of the crowd backing them from behind was growing, and shouts about 'vengeance' and 'rising up against oppression' angered Aiwa. But the Avatar held up her hands once more.

"Please listen to me!" she cried over the din. "We don't have to fight! We all need to work together to restore balance, and you all can make a positive difference with me! Just stop what you're –"

Someone had thrown a punch, and Aiwa bent over backwards as a fireball passed through the space where her head had been.

"Fine! I guess this is how it's going to be"

* * *

Aiwa wiped her bleeding nose on her sleeve. Far to the south, a peel of thunder rumbled in the billowing clouds, and a cold wind swept down from the north. One UPF soldier was being helped to his feet, having sustained a heavy blow to his helmet, but he was otherwise alright. A mecha suit stood close by, surveying the aftermath of the brawl.

"You bloody idiots!" screamed Aiwa suddenly, lashing out with her foot at the nearest citizen, who groaned and tried to roll away. An unexpected fury had taken her completely by surprise, and Aiwa realised that she was starting to sympathise with Junto on at least one front.

"You're as bad as him," one young man breathed, pulling himself up to lean against an unearthed rock, blood running down his left arm and staining his coat.

"You attacked me," spat Aiwa, breathing heavily, "so what did you expect? I defended myself."

"We're innocent civilians –"

"No you're not," cut in Aiwa, "you've lost that right! Resort to violence and you can expect violence in return. Take a swing at me if it'll make you feel good, but don't you dare attack superior principles with mere brute force!"

"You bashed us up," spoke a young woman, hoisting herself up to kneel, albeit with great effort. "How does that make you superior?"

"I just said: I acted in self-defence, making my violence acceptable. You couldn't be reasoned with, so you acted like thugs." Aiwa turned away, the rage now ebbing from her body, and into the hole that it left trickled sadness.

"Avatar," a UPF soldier spoke, as medical personnel arrived and moved to help the injured civilians, "are you alright?"

"Fine," answered Aiwa curtly. She was not at all in the mood to talk.

"Bataar Senior would like to see you. His transport is over there." The woman pointed to the west, and beyond a block of tall houses, Aiwa could see the silhouette of a large Huntingbird.

"What does he want?"

"I think there's been some new intelligence to do with Jishu chi-technology vaults. He wants you to go with him on a trip...but he'll explain it himself. I think this trip has also been ord- sorry, sanctioned by Senior Xue. You know how he is."

"Yeah, I know," said Aiwa glumly. She was not in the mood for any sort of excursion right now, and longed for home... But a trip sanctioned by Xue was merely a euphemism for a forceful order from a Senior – one used to getting his way.

"Aiwa," spoke Bataar in a terse greeting as she reached the Huntingbird, a few minutes later, "climb in. It's a long journey, and I want to be there before the day's end." Bataar was not particularly grumpy, but rather eager to depart. He did look quite tired... Aiwa noticed he hadn't even commented on her bleeding nose.

Aiwa took a quick look at the Huntingbird. The shift-wing aircraft was a large transport, with a central compartment for personnel to ride in. It was already occupied by a number of UPF, though Aiwa didn't recognise any of the soldiers. The aircraft itself was a hybrid modified for a non-combat role, with jet engines and a fuel tank extension for greater range and larger but less flexible shift-wings to function with the added engines. The windows were of thick glass with steel beams reinforcing the structure. The aircraft scarcely resembled the first Huntingbirds that had entered combat during the late Diametric War, which had themselves come from the smaller Hummingbirds of the previous century. The first shift-wing aircraft had been used in the invasion of the United Republic of Nations, but the original design had lasted at least fifty years before being significantly modified and renamed.

Aiwa climbed in after Bataar, who pulled a lever to close the final hatch after her. As she sat down and strapped in to a seat beside the hatch, Bataar called out to the pilot, and the Huntingbird's engines started. Their deep pulse grew rapidly to a powerful throb, as the noise of the flapping shift-wings blended with the roar of jet engines. Aiwa looked around at the UPF seated in the compartment with her. The old man next to her appeared gaunt and stern, but he gifted her with a kind smile. None of the faces were familiar, although the group was a mixture of young and old, female and male soldiers.

Liftoff was an unexpected jolt to both the stomach and the ears, as the mixed engines jumped in volume with the launch into the air. Staring dispassionately through the window, Aiwa watched the ground disappear beneath her.

"Where are we going?" Aiwa asked finally, a few hours later. The throb of the engines had faded to a steady growl as the Huntingbird climbed to cruising altitude. The UPF passengers had been content to stay silent, and Aiwa was still sour about her clash with the Ba Sing Se locals. "I wasn't told much before I jumped onboard..."

"Now now, don't sound so hurt," Bataar chided in mocking tones, but the smile on his face lightened the mood a little. He was sitting across from her in the compartment. "To the Chameleon's Bight! We've additional information coming out of Xue's Republic City find all the time, and the latest is on a downed Dominance Bomber near the mouth of Full Moon River, which feeds into the bight."

Aiwa was a little confused. From the discussion of the colony project prior to leaving the Silent Fortress, she had assumed that Bataar would be busy for weeks dealing with the recovery of old Jishu technologies in Ba Sing Se.

"Did you wrap up the work at Laogai already?"

Bataar, who had raised his eyebrows at her question, sighed and wilted.

"The lake is a problem. The biohazardous material can be dealt with, but the radioactive waste is not so easy. We can't risk a leak to the atmosphere..." Bataar cracked his knuckles, scowling. "They just _would not_ put the effort into cleaning up properly!"

"Radioactive?" Aiwa racked her brain for the right facts. "Do you mean...the Jishu's fusion project?"

"Fission," corrected Bataar. "Fusion is what sustains the Silent Fortress. Yes, the Jishu were working with fission technologies, but concluded pretty quickly that it was a bad idea, and with the capacity to spawn even worse ones. They dropped the idea like the hot waste they'd produced. Trouble is, they opted for easy disposal to set the record clean, and Ba Sing Se was all too eager to take it and foul up Lake Laogai for an easy buck. That was decades ago, but some of the fission by-products will be around for far longer than either you or me."

"Ba Sing Se were the good guys, though...?" Aiwa's statement became a question mid-sentence. Bataar looked away, thinking for a few seconds, before replying.

"That depends on whom you ask."

For the next few minutes, Aiwa was silent, her mind wrapped up in the ideas of sheer opportunism and cultural extinction. The mental lethargy of Ba Sing Se's population at the time of the Winter's beginning had been a great contributing factor to the mass chaos and suffering in the megatropolis. When the global harvest failed everything was dragged down with it, and what followed the short-lived hysteria had been nothing but death. After a government statement decrying the influence of external players in the great city's affairs and a call to arms for the people to help their leaders uphold their mandate, things had changed rapidly. Within two years, the worst-case scenario predicted by the Jishu atmospheric scientists had come true but those who had so righteously claimed to serve the people, those with power, had used it to escape the city as it began to turn into a mass grave. All were hunted down by the Preservation as soon as it could commit the resources. The minor players were killed off to extinguish any chance of an evil legacy, but the highest-ranking government officials were brought home for ICE. Aiwa caught herself grinning at the memories of the public executions that had followed. Once again, the Preservation's principles were what mattered most.

As though guided by an invisible hand, Aiwa's thoughts moved on to consider her place in the world, and her duty as the Avatar.

"I have to experience the world," she spoke out loud, surprising Bataar, "in order to fully realise what 'balance' means, what it means for every single living thing, and what it therefore means to me, as the Avatar."

Bataar froze for a few seconds, thinking, before nodding in agreement.

"I think you're getting it, but if this is something you're uncertain of, you should talk to Xue. In any case..." The aged man sighed. "The old nations wouldn't see reason or yield to peaceful overtures. They were out of balance, and the universe destroyed them for it. I see the Great Winter itself as an incarnation of the previous generation's lacking wisdom of kindness, and awareness of consequences. The universe doesn't distinguish between us and them, so the karmic consequences are ours. Put power in the hands of those whose ideologies aren't concerned with reality of the human condition, and..." Bataar shrugged. "You can see the consequences through that very window. But what do I know? I'm just a scientist."

Bataar grinned, and it took Aiwa a moment to figure out why.

"Well, as a scientist, you know a great deal about –"

"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious," Bataar cut in with a chuckle, and Aiwa wasn't even mad in the slightest. "As a scientist with a specialist domain, my job – my training – you might even say the nature of my very existence is to understand reality. But what I said was half accurate. What _do_ I know? Reality. But as for the human condition? We'll, you'd be better off talking with Xue – or maybe Varli. He's probably the Preservation's best moral philosopher."

Aiwa nodded, but said nothing. She could see that in Varli, even if he didn't share his wisdom with everyone.

"Now," spoke Bataar suddenly, "I've had a request from Xue that the Avatar be told another story from the past – specifically, from the Diametric War."

Aiwa followed Bataar's gaze across the small passenger bay to an older soldier who had been staring through the glass. The soldier turned around, and Aiwa could see the tension in his face. What was his story?

As if reading her thoughts, Bataar answered her question.

"Bataar, this is Leijun. He's a veteran of the Diametric War, and served under the Jishu's infamous home general –"

"Don't say his name," Leijun spat, his voice strangely high-pitched. "I never wanna hear it again."

"Understandable," Bataar commented, before getting right to the point. "Aiwa, look down. What do you see?"

The day had already reached mid-afternoon, and the Sun was perfectly set to illuminate the landscape for an observer in the sky. The storms had moved on towards Ba Sing Se, and Aiwa now found herself looking down upon a beautiful and green yet lonely land. The region was mountainous, with sharp peaks and sheer cliffs carving up the terrain into deep gullies and gorges. It was a karst landscape, and a wide valley ran from east to west. A dried-up riverbed was visible. Although the peaks and hills themselves were devoid of life, the valley floor was covered in hardy naihan grass. Far to the east, Aiwa thought she could see the grey of an old city, now empty and abandoned on the raw surface of the cold planet.

"Battlefield Five," grunted Leijun. "Yeah, I remember. What do you want to know?"

"Everything," answered Bataar immediately. "It's a request from Xue. You know how he is."

Leijun leaned back in his seat, gazing at the low, steel ceiling. The other soldiers had all focussed in with interest, and Aiwa prepared herself for another tale of times lost. She was not disappointed by his mournful account of the late-war massacre at Battlefield Five. Rather than show any kind of mercy to the Wushi army advancing into the Jishu homeland, the home general had employed a deception – a merciless ambush that left not a single enemy soldier alive.

Leijun grew angry, finishing his story through gritted teeth.

"...General Fa spared no one. It was his master plan, after all, and he wanted to take full credit. The makila suits hidden in the hills, the patient Hunters dancing between the peaks... It was a systematic slaughter over the course of three hours, but it was a turning point in the war, and eight years of uneasy peace followed. That was something, at least."

Aiwa leaned back in her seat as the bloody image in her mind's eye imploded. The transport Huntingbird was now descending through layers of cloud, and Aiwa glimpsed the setting Sun out to the west. Far below, the open swamplands were dark and cold, and Aiwa could just make out the ruins of a small village, devoid of human life and reclaimed by nature.

"You were under orders," spoke the grim soldier next to Aiwa, with emphasised clarity. "You had to do you duty, even if it meant a slaughter."

Leijun nodded, smiling at the man across from himself.

"I get that. Doesn't make it much easier, though."

"But you're not compromised because of it," Bataar spoke suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "Soldiers – and members, Seniors – men and women from the older generations were all selected, among other things, for resilience. We built up a profile of every single person working for the Preservation, even without the old Jishu mind-mapping tech. That was lost after the war." Bataar smiled around at the men and women who were loyal to him. "You all do your very best. You're fine soldiers."'

Leijun leaned forward to give Bataar a friendly reply, but Aiwa was no longer listening. She looked away, through the glass and out across a cold landscape, suddenly suffering from acute self-awareness. Since yesterday's experiences under the influence of the drug, something had been tugging at her edges mind. Now the introspection began once more, with Aiwa's metacognitive self demanding her full attention.

 _"I am here and now."_

 _"Are you? If you are, then what are you?"_

 _"I am me."_

 _"That statement carries no information whatsoever."_

 _"It's an affirmation of my existence, is it not?"_

 _"Following from the assumption that you exist. If you come to an argument based on false premises and you cannot see it, you will fail."_

 _"How do I confirm my premises?"_

 _"Discard your assumptions. Dispel the illusion."_

Aiwa pondered what the illusion was, for the idea was holding firm in her mind. Out of memories she didn't know she had, confusion and contradictions were growing. But then it occurred to her: this opportunity, this journey had taken place at a perfect time. She could travel from the mouth of Full Moon River to the Eastern Spirit Portal in the ruins of the smallest island out in the bay. And at the site of Junto's death she could enter the Spirit World and meet someone…

Zaheer could help her. And perhaps she could help him.


	13. Chapter Twelve:The Eastern Spirit Portal

Chapter 12: The Eastern Spirit Portal  
256 AG, Early Autumn  
Western Beach, Chameleon's Bight, Eastern Plate, Earth Continent

* * *

Dawn brought with it a light shower of rain. Aiwa could hear the faint pattering of the raindrops on the metal hull of the Huntingbird. She, Bataar, and the UPF members had all spent the night in their seats in the landed shift-wing. Sleep was uncomfortable and disrupted, as the soldiers switched guard shifts regularly and the rear hatch had to be opened and closed every time someone changed places. The morning light was a relief, even though no one could have had more than a few hours of good sleep.

"Aiwa, come and have a look."

Aiwa's head flopped to the right and she gave Bataar an irritable glare.

"Now?" she said, already unclasping her seatbelt in resignation.

"Now," the technician whispered, already climbing out through the rear hatch.

Acutely aware that she was beginning to smell from wearing the same clothes several days in a row, Aiwa rubbed her eyes and rose from her seat.

"Look," spoke Bataar quietly, once they were out on the sand. "Isn't it magnificent?"

The dawn was overcast, the sky grey, muddy and hopeless. The rain had mostly abated, but Aiwa could still feel the occasional drop of water on her hood. The beach seemed to stretch off into infinity to her left and right, north and south respectively. Behind her were tall cliffs, bleak and barren. The sandy beach itself was astonishingly wide, and sloped gently downhill until it finally reached the sea, at least a kilometre away. The Chameleon's Bight was beautiful, cold and silent. Nothing stirred. Aiwa could hear neither the cry of seabirds nor the lapping of waves.

Far out ahead was what Bataar was pointing to.

The Knotted Isles themselves were just visible against the horizon, but their presence was obvious, indicated by the blazing light that illuminated the low sea mists for miles around. Aiwa could just make out the spire itself, the beam of light that shot up into the sky and was lost in the dismal clouds. There lay the Eastern Spirit Portal.

"It is beautiful…" Aiwa murmured. "Too bad it's lost on everyone else." She glanced over her shoulder, grinning. Bataar gave her a sharp nudge.

"Let them sleep," he admonished, though with little sincerity. "The men have worked hard, and still have more to do."

"So what is it we're here for, again?"

"Look there," Bataar said, pointing south along the beach. "Do you see that headland? The one with the slanted cliffs? Just beyond that is the mouth of Full Moon River. We've good reason to believe that there's an old Jishu Dominance bomber somewhere near the bottom of the river there."

"Wouldn't it be on land, now?" asked Aiwa. "What with the drop in sea level, because of the ice expansion near the poles, I'd have thought –"

"You would think so," cut in Bataar, "but the last reconnaissance recorded that the river mouth is so deep it's still underwater. Look down the beach –" Aiwa followed his fingertip to see the sand disappear towards the slanted cliffs "– and you can almost see why."

"So…why did I come along again?" Aiwa asked, bemused. Bataar merely shrugged.

"Xue's orders – you know how he is."

"I'm really sick of people saying that. He's not so bad…" Aiwa's voice trailed off as she remembered her argument with her teacher from two days prior. Her response had been automatic, and should could not bring to mind a single conversation which had not devolved into angry disagreement. Xue was a tough man to deal with.

"Yeah, sure," snorted Bataar, grinning again. "Now, would you like to accompany me to the crash site? I wanted to take some measurements and get an idea of what we're dealing with."

Aiwa shrugged and sighed in acquiescence. She'd much rather still be asleep.

"Well why not?"

* * *

Far down the beach, they found Bataar's information to be correct. The mouth of the river was incredibly deep, but also very wide. The sand sloped down over several kilometres to meet the seawater, but the river itself emerged from a gorge not more than a few hundred metres wide.

A few minutes later, Aiwa caught herself gazing at the distant Isles, mesmerised by the great beam of light that pierced the skies. The mists had mostly disappeared, and the cliffs of the Knotted Isles themselves were now visible, silhouetted darkly against the light of the Portal.

"Yeah, it really is beautiful, isn't it?" spoke Bataar, wandering over to take a break from his surveying.

"Does it ever stop going up?" Aiwa murmured. "The portal's spire, I mean?"

"Well, it's like the earth's atmosphere: there's a point where the energy signature becomes so weak that you might as well say it's ended. But the energy decay is exponential, so really it technically never ends."

"Science," grumbled Aiwa, "what do I know? I'll stick with appreciating its beauty."

"That's quite reasonable," agreed Bataar. "It's just too bad the Portal's creation cost the world so much…"

"Did it?" Aiwa pondered, still staring at the distant light. "Did it really?" Her thoughts were dwelling on her encounters with the Ba Sing Se locals. They were mere shadows of the kind and well-adjusted population of the Habitation Zone. Had all of humanity once been like that?

"You're the Avatar," replied Bataar, turning to go, "you tell me."

"Wait," Aiwa commanded suddenly, tearing her gaze from the ethereal glow, a dangerous thought having happened upon her. "I wanted to ask you about something."

"What's that?"

"The Bright Lance."

Bataar's reaction was instant and predictable. He opened his mouth in surprise, but then closed it, adopting a look of stern suspicion.

"That's restricted information. I don't know how you came about it, but you'll need to explain yourself to the Seniors council –"

"Why? So they can tell me off for trying to improve myself as the Avatar? I thought that was my duty to the world."

"Oh very good. You can always make use of that justification. Why won't you see that the Preservation's plan for you is well intentioned? Trust us!"

"Trust you to lie to me, huh? I don't think so."

Bataar's frown deepened.

"You need to learn that there's a difference between being lied to, and not being told anything at all. Furthermore, we haven't actually lied –"

But Aiwa cut him off. "I don't see a difference, not when the information is withheld without good reason –"

"We don't have to explain ourselves to you, Aiwa! I –" Bataar turned away in frustration, wiping his mouth with his hand, leaving Aiwa to forge ahead with her questioning.

"So the Bright Lance is still up there. Are we going to get it down?"

Bataar turned back to her, his scowl still present, but a little lessened.

"Yes, we are," he replied sourly, "and it'll never be used again –"

"I can't believe the Jishu never tested it before using against the Wushi –"

"What? No, they did test it. They fired it once into space before turning it against the Earth. What makes you think that?"

"I – nothing..." Aiwa's mouth hung open a little as she stared at Bataar.

"Tell me, just how did you find out about it?" Bataar pushed the question, oblivious of Aiwa's confusion.

"In Ba Sing Se," spoke Aiwa, regaining her cool, "from a robot. The one you thought was haunting the locals."

"You met it? I guess the fault is hardly yours if it gave away the secret..."

"So you knew it was a robot in the Middle Ring?"

"We suspected," replied Bataar, "but weren't sure. The Four E D P, or Four Elements Droid Prototype, as it was called, was mentioned in the database recovered from the Republic City Ruins…and elsewhere."

Aiwa suddenly noticed that the UPF soldiers were approaching from the north, and she nodded to their distant figures. Bataar scowled once more.

"We'll continue this conversation later," he spoke darkly, "and I'll be reporting you to the Seniors council."

"Yeah, I know," said Aiwa with a grimace. "Thanks for that."

* * *

Aiwa sat upon the cliff's edge as the morning crawled on towards midday. The sky did not change. It was permanently set, frozen in grey, sullen and uncaring. Thankfully, the rain did not return, but the day was dim and dreary. Aiwa stared down at the Preservation soldiers as they worked to raise the massive Jishu aircraft from the waters far below. Soldiers followed orders. They couldn't do too much thinking – they weren't allowed – yet the Preservation must have begun with a military core that agreed with its goals and strategies. How else could they have gained so much power?

Then Aiwa's mind shifted to consider what Bataar had just unwittingly revealed to her. His two statements now contradicted each other.

 _"It was only ever used three times, and we hope it will never be fired again…"_

 _"What? No, they did test it. They fired it once into space before turning it against the Earth…"_

Both statements could not be true, for if the Bright Lance was first tested in space, then used against the fortress in the east, then used to destroy Pohuai in the west, and finally used on the Knotted Toe to kill the Avatar, then that was four times. Only two logical possibilities remained: either Bataar had lied about the test, or the weapon was fired more than three times...

From the top of the barren cliffs, Aiwa stared off into the distance. The light from the Eastern Spirit Portal had grown a little brighter, and the seas around reflected its light like liquid crystals dancing in perfect harmony.

Then, she remembered: Zaheer.

Perhaps he could tell her, but she had to give him something in return. " _Quid pro quo, Aiwa."_ What did she have? Sadly, very little.

But she had to meet him. And besides, he had specifically asked her to come to him in the Spirit World this time, rather than just invading her dreams. Had his situation changed? Well yes, he'd been sedated. But by whom?

* * *

A few hours later, Aiwa found herself simply walking the distance to the Eastern Spirit Portal. The Chameleon's Bight had been so shallow that when the seas had fallen, huge amounts of land had been exposed, and the Bight itself was now found to be little more than a paddling pond. In some places, Aiwa had to wade, but for the most part she was walking across mud, stone, and dead seagrass. The tide was clearly out.

Bataar and the others wouldn't miss her yet – they were far too busy digging up their fancy war toy –

 _"So cynical, Aiwa."_

 _"Yeah, well I feel like I have to be right now. Who can I trust? No one!"_

 _"So you run away without telling anyone where you're going? Xue's already mad at you – don't go making things worse, now."_

 _"Don't you lecture me! This is the only way forward."_

 _"How funny. Telling yourself not to lecture yourself. We'd both best be quiet, then!"_

Aiwa laughed out loud at the absurdity of the conversation playing out in her head.

"Ridiculous!" she scoffed, before looking up and losing focus entirely.

By now, she had been walking for hours, yet the sky had not changed. The dreary grey felt as if it permeated all of existence, and always would. This was the Great Winter. In any case, Aiwa thought it was getting a little darker. Was evening approaching already?

As she approached the Knotted Toe, Aiwa lost herself gazing up at the magnificent light of the Eastern Spirit Portal. It was golden-green, like the Republic City Portal in the West, and emanated from the smallest of the Knotted Islands. The Toe itself, now exposed by the fallen sea levels, was flat and, strangely, heavily forested. If it was true that the Bright Lance had fired with greater power than ever before, power enough even to force the eruption of almost every volcano on the planet, then why was the island still here at all?

 _"Because the spiritual energy was piercing, rather than explosive. It punched through into the mantel and disrupted the geothermal currents without damaging the island much."_

 _"But that's not what it did to Pohuai. The reports spoke very clearly of a huge explosion that destroyed the fortress, not a concentrated beam."_

 _"Well, then perhaps it behaved differently. Maybe it was on a different setting, or perhaps whoever used it had no idea of how to fire it properly."_

The incompatible facts were beginning to raise Aiwa's ire a little, but she was also becoming aware of the dangers of obsession. How important was this issue really? And what difference did it make? Junto died here – wasn't that all that mattered?

As Aiwa trudged up the mountain of sand that led up to the Knotted Toe, she heard a faint sound, far away but growing louder. It was behind her. Suspecting, Aiwa began to run. The sandy slope gave way beneath her feet, hampering her efforts, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

The source of the sound grew nearer, and Aiwa identified it as a UPF Huntingbird. Of course they knew where she had gone. Now panicking, she took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and blasted onwards and upwards, her fire moving her faster than her legs ever could on this surface.

Once the sand plateaued out onto a stony beach, Aiwa began to sprint towards the dark cliffs of the Knotted Toe, now only a few hundred metres distant. She was vaguely aware of how dark the sky had become, and how any human description of the Spirit Portal's beauty would now fall short of its reality. But was it just a dark afternoon, or evening already? Where had the day gone?

Panting, Aiwa reached the rocky slopes of the island and leapt up between the trees. The vegetation began right where the sand ended, thick and green, unlike much of what remained in this part of the world. Most plant matter was now simple naihan grass. And while hardy, it allowed very little else to flourish –

The drone of engines grew loud, and Aiwa hid back behind a tall acacia. Peering out, she thought she glimpsed the silhouette of Bataar's Huntingbird, but decided not to wait around to find out. They would land to search the island for her, and she had to get into the Spirit World before they found her.

* * *

Finally leaping up the choked hillside and into a small but particularly deep clearing, Aiwa found herself at the Eastern Spirit Portal. The dip itself descended down to almost sea level – well, what would have been sea level before the Great Winter began. The trees all around seemed to lean very slightly inwards towards the light spire, and the floor of the clearing was made of spirit vines. Besides the dull granite rocks that spilled down towards the Portal itself, Aiwa could not see any ground.

Not pausing to think, she ran straight on, and into the Spirit Portal.

This time, however, she was ready for it.

The glowing, white orbs flashed across her vision, but Aiwa stared them down, prepared this time. The burst of alien anger that accompanied the vision of the orbs was weaker also, and Aiwa's head throbbed a little, but was otherwise painless...

A rough jerk sent her spiralling out beyond her own reality...

* * *

Aiwa crashed down onto her hands and knees, still panting a little. The light on the rocks was golden-green, and a strange sound greeted her ears. It was...the twittering of a bird? Aiwa looked up.

She had come out on the side of a cliff. The rocks here had no obvious colour of their own, and were instead lit up by nearby the Spirit Portal. The cliff itself fell away on all sides but one, and when Aiwa glanced up the sheer rise behind her, she thought she could make out a second beam of spiritual energy spearing up into the night-time sky. And there were stars...

In all other directions lay fields of crystals, far below her. Off on the horizon to her left, Aiwa thought she could see the waxing glow of whatever passed for a Sun in the Spirit World. To her right, the starscape came down to meet with the crystals on the horizon, and the two blurred into one.

As she watched, the first rays of morning blasted across this world, and the effect on the crystals was most wondrous. A faint humming sound grew, and the crystals themselves began to shift around in the light, absorbing it and using it to move and grow. A huge, floating jelly creature appeared out of the darkness on Aiwa's right and floated by, translucent and luminous.

Aiwa could see something, a great mass blurred against the fiery skies, a shape that seemed to twist up and into infinity...

"At last, you're here!"

Aiwa turned to see Zaheer sitting on a wide boulder beside the Spirit Portal. She suddenly noticed how odd this Portal was. The others had organic surroundings and had grown beautiful even if they had not started that way. This one, however had been torn into the side of the mountain, as though a violent spirit had experienced great trauma there...

"Well, are you going to make me wait?" Zaheer croaked impatiently. "I'm not as young as I used to be –"

"Fine," cut in Aiwa, returning her gaze to the old man and walking over to stand in front of his rock. The air was deliciously warm here, and smelled of...honey? The honey she was used to was a synthetic flavouring, because no bees – or at least none in Old Shewen Land – were left. This smell, coupled with the reality that it was probably some spiritual nectar, was divine.

"We shouldn't stay here – I think I'm being followed. Is there somewhere else we can go to talk?"

"Of course," Zaheer replied immediately, standing up and leaping down from his perch with surprising ease for someone of his age. From what she knew of Korra's troubles with the ancient airbender, Aiwa estimated him to be at least one-hundred and twenty years old.

"Hold steady," Zaheer spoke, grabbing Aiwa by the shoulders. For a moment, Aiwa stared into his passive grey eyes, and wondered just who he was, and what his connections to reality were –

"What? How did you do that?" Aiwa asked in surprise, staring around, for the scenery had suddenly changed. They were now standing in the small clearing from their last encounter. The air was still, cool, and damp, and the light was dim and fading. Zaheer sat down upon the lush grass, motioning for Aiwa to do the same.

"Freedom within the Spirit World can take time to master, but I believe it is available to anyone."

As Aiwa sat down upon the grass, she gazed at Zaheer with a mixture of confusion, suspicion, and wonder.

"I really want to know who you are," she said, and Zaheer nodded, smiling faintly. He knew what she really meant.

"Now who's talking in riddles?" he taunted, but Aiwa did not take the bait. She mocked him with a condescending smile.

"You're obviously not dead," she said confidently, "as you told me you'd been sedated. So you lied to me before."

"I did no such thing. I said I might be dead, but then gave you other ideas, and told you that the truth depended on who you asked –"

"Whom –"

"Be quiet. You did that last time, and you clearly haven't learned that such trivialities are not important."

Aiwa sat up straight, glowering at Zaheer. He was right, of course, but it angered her nonetheless.

"Firstly, Aiwa, tell me what you've learned of the book and its secrets."

Aiwa sighed, deflating a little. On this front, she had been a complete failure.

"I haven't discovered anything, and didn't even try to get access to the book. Even if I had, it would be extremely difficult to..." Then Aiwa's own thoughts interrupted her. "But I've had some...experiences."

Zaheer's face lit up into a broad smile, startling Aiwa.

"Good, good! Tell me about them!"

Aiwa recounted her unearthly experiences: the absurd singularity dream aboard the Bison to Ba Sing Se, her experience of sight beyond sight while tripping on an unknown drug, and the moments of acute self-awareness that cut into her stream of consciousness with increasing frequency.

"I just..." Aiwa grabbed her hair in frustration. "I hate not knowing what it all means!"

"Why does it have to mean anything at all?" Zaheer cut in, startling her again. "You're so close to the end – much closer than me. You just need to open up and accept the reality of what's happening to you without analysing it. Why should you be able to find meaning in any of this at all?"

Aiwa rubbed her eyes, her temples beginning to throb.

"Because that's what humans do: we find the meaning in everything! It's how we became so good…everything. Science and technology, governments and societies, everything – life as a whole."

Zaheer was silent, and he averted his gaze. Aiwa felt as though she had disappointed him, but the displeasure was also her own. The old man was infuriatingly full of riddles.

"Aiwa," he spoke after a minute of silence, "I'm at a crossroads, and I don't know which way to turn. I'm unsure of my own goals, now. I had one, but I'm in the process of abandoning it." He gave Aiwa a very hard stare at this point, as though trying to tell her something nonverbally. "I don't have much time to decide, either. I'm being kept alive, but they can't maintain it forever. I believe I need to tell you some important things." Zaheer's voice was passionate, but Aiwa's conviction held.

"Why don't you start by telling me exactly who you are, and all about yourself? I've trusted you this far…"

"I need to tell you things...while still acting morally."

"Morals be damned! I want the truth –"

"The truth depends on whom you ask. And, for that matter, so do your morals!"

For a few seconds, Aiwa and Zaheer glared at each other. Aiwa was the one to give in. She was impatient, and felt rushed to extract as much information as she could in the time they had. If she encountered a wall, it would be prudent to dodge around and find another path rather than to try to smash through. Zaheer seemed resolved to withhold certain information…just like so many others in her life.

But _why_?

"So talk," Aiwa said curtly, still sour. "Tell me what you want."

"You have to be open to it."

"I am."

"We'll see. Now...where to begin?"

"At the beginning?" Aiwa couldn't help sneering a little, but Zaheer appeared not to notice, taking the comment seriously.

"No, I think that to begin at the very beginning would be unwise, though your penchant for completeness is commendable. Now bear with me, for my story is of critical importance to your becoming whole as the Avatar. Why? Because I'm going to tell you how I killed Avatar Junto."

Aiwa's eyes widened, and she forced herself to sit up straight once more.

Zaheer took a deep breath, and began his tale.

"In my younger days and through middle age I pursued a radical agenda. I was involved – and you may already know this – with the Red Lotus. They're an organisation that split off from the White Lotus early last century and declared themselves against all forms of government and the tyranny of secretive, controlling groups, and against the Avatar. Of course, this was with the view that the Avatar would always interfere with others' lives, and that such interference was…inappropriate. Before I fought Korra, I gave her the chance to see things my way. She couldn't."

"Korra defeated you," Aiwa put in, "you personally."

"I know. Avatar Korra was powerful – incredibly powerful, and in one particular way that Junto never matched. But that's beside the point. Let me continue."

As Aiwa nodded, she wondered how Junto had been less than Korra in any way at all...

"The Red Lotus stands, above all else, for freedom. Now, what freedom actually means is what ultimately drove me to question my allegiance to the Red Lotus and to desert. Not the meaning itself, but the mere fact that its meaning is up for interpretation...and what I would call 'abuse'. Is it enough that man is always free in his own mind? Does he even have that freedom? Is he morally required to seek more freedom? Does he seek freedom for all his fellow humans? If so, does he not then seek equality, rather than freedom? These are the questions I pondered – some of them, at least."

"You were imprisoned after Korra defeated you, yes?" Aiwa asked. Her fascination with this man was growing, but she felt the need to nudge him in the right direction.

"That's right, but I was set free. Ten years after I was locked away, a group of men and women who had learned of my existence and philosophy broke me out of the prison I had been held in. But while my physical form was chained, my mind had been free. As well as wandering through my internal conceptual realms, I spent a great deal of time in the Spirit World. I realised, after a while, that I was seeking an alternative. It started with the search for justification of my own views. But when I failed to find any out there in the universe I retreated inside myself once more. I reached many deep conclusions and gained numerous insights, but then I reached the limits of my own mind, and realised the dangers inherent in leading myself ever onward in thought..."

Zaheer paused for a moment and leaned forward to place a palm upon the ground before him. Aiwa watched his hand as he appeared to subtly caress the grass itself. His face was impassive.

"You know what, Aiwa? At the end of the day, for all our schemes and complex arguments on the nature of reality, what's real and true and what's good and right, we all just forget to _live_. We forget that we're living, feeling, thinking, and experiencing creatures. And yet we try to solve life like a riddle! Isn't it ridiculous?"

"No, I don't think it is," replied Aiwa firmly. "If you want to do good, then you need to have some idea of what's what."

Speaking it out loud, the sentence sounded absurd. But Zaheer understood her well enough.

"Perhaps," he replied simply, "perhaps not. But I digress. The men and women who freed me were extremists in the truest sense of the word, and went on to commit a great evil because of this. They expected me to re-join the ranks of the Red Lotus, to lead, and to take them with me as new members...but I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Didn't you hear what I said? By then, I had too much doubt. I had fought for freedom, but what had my actions caused? We were directly responsible for the carnage in the Earth Kingdom! We brought down the Earth Queen, and as much of a tyrant as she was, she was holding back others – aspiring leaders with far darker intentions – even if those great leaders knew neither of their own nature nor of those intentions. And with the Avatar out of the way – courtesy of me – Kuvira, the so-called 'Great Uniter', rose to power. She was far more oppressive than the Earth Queen ever was! The Red Lotus killed her in the end, decades later, in spite of her personal reformation...but what was the point?"

Suddenly, Zaheer laughed, his self-doubt crystallising in a moment of ludic hysteria.

"We're fighting human nature! Hierarchy and the desire to gain power and dominate will always thwart attempts to bring about universal freedom."

Aiwa wasn't sure she agreed, but she held her peace. She was beginning to suspect that, during his time of introspection, Zaheer had peaked through a doorway to insanity hidden away in the depths of his mind.

"Now," continued Zaheer, "sometime after I was freed from prison, my followers – those same men and women who freed me – were swayed by a group that was criticising extreme terrorist cells like the Red Lotus by simply making fun of them. These satirists were trying to do some good in the world – and do you know what their central message was?"

Aiwa shook her head.

"They wanted to unleash tranquillity upon the earth, from the Shilun Alliance – sorry, I mean the Jishu homeland in the east to the Fire Nation islands in the west, and from pole to pole. Imagine that! And they ran an excellent public relations campaign, too."

"So what happened to your followers?" asked Aiwa quietly.

Zaheer simply smiled.

"They were taken. All of them were swayed by the ideas presented. And what's more, do you know where the satirists hailed from?"

"Where?"

"Baaj."

"What's so special about Baaj?"

Zaheer cleared his throat.

"Now, Aiwa, the tale I'm about to tell you should not be taken as fact, but rather as just that – a story, an inaccurate but still useful account of history. Promise me you won't read too much into it, alright? Don't create too much meaning."

"I'll promise nothing," Aiwa said calmly, "but I'll give it a shot."

"Firstly, tell me what you know of Baaj."

"It's a region in the southern Earth Continent, a tract of land which is one long valley. It contains – I mean, it _contained_ some of the most prosperous Earth Continent cities and states. Gaoling was the largest city."

"It's true that the western end of the valley was best known for its prosperous cities, but what do you know of the eastern end? Of its cultural history? Or its philosophy?"

"Nothing at all."

"Then let me teach you. Almost four thousand years ago, a wandering Air Nomad philosopher, a great man, came to Baaj. He spoke and debated with the local ascetics, and swayed a great many people with his views. Over time, Air Nomad philosophy has changed and grown different, but the teachings that were brought to Baaj remained true to their origins. While the beliefs survived, its practitioners dwindled in number, and eventually faded from existence. But they did leave behind incredible literature which was hidden away from many centuries, until rediscovered by your spiritual predecessor, Avatar Aang."

"How do you know this?" Aiwa demanded incredulously. It seemed impossible that Aang would have ever spoken with Zaheer, or shared such important information at all.

"It is enough that I know it," Zaheer replied impassively, before continuing over the top of Aiwa's objections. "Now, the purest practitioners of this ancient Air Nomad philosophy may have died out, but the beliefs survived, in one form or another. The Baaj locals, particularly the cultured peoples of the eastern end of the valley, they retained many aspects, particularly the focus on nonviolence and peaceful solutions to the world's problems – hence the satirists' threat to unleash tranquillity upon the world. There is more meaning wrapped up in their words than I think even they knew."

"So we're making meaning, now?"

"No, we're _rediscovering_ it. Now those one-time followers of mine went to Baaj and sought after the old philosophy because of those satirists. But they discovered that the literature had been hidden away by Avatar Aang many years ago. So what did they do? They accosted Korra about it. Of course, Korra had no clue and fought with them and defeated them all, but spared their lives. Avatar Korra was a noble and merciful woman."

"You almost killed her."

"I regret my actions as I would resent the actions of another man whose conscious will I have no control over. But my knowledge seekers did not give up. They followed the trail of information, speaking even with Aang's widow mere months before she passed away. Eventually, they found a vault, a hidden library created by Aang to _preserve_ the knowledge – or so they thought. But I suspect differently."

"What do you think?"

"I think that Avatar Aang hid that knowledge away because he thought it would do more harm than good in the open world, accessible to the people. I can't be sure, as I don't know exactly the teachings of the ancient Air Nomads, but I have a general idea. And so do you, even if you don't realise it consciously. In fact, I'm very jealous: you _live_ the knowledge, and you're beginning to experience it more and more. It's changing you, making you wiser and bringing you in closer connection to the universe, to nature, and to reality, even if you don't realise it."

Aiwa sat still and silent, processing his words. One thing was now certain: she had to have that book. Zaheer ploughed on with his tale, increasingly forceful.

"We humans are incredible tool makers and phenomenal problem solvers, but we can be so easily overwhelmed. Our number one enemy, I'm coming to realise, is not what's out there…but what's in here. Our number one enemy is our self."

Zaheer placed a hand upon his sternum and closed his eyes for a moment. Aiwa simply stared at him.

 _"Humans can be so easily overwhelmed. The enemy is within."_

 _"So you are the enemy? You will destroy yourself, given half a chance?"_

 _"Not exactly. His message is far more subtle than that."_

"And this," Zaheer spoke solemnly, "brings me perfectly up to modern history and the present. Some might say that, for the last ten thousand years, the world has been balanced, with all the people leading relatively happy and simple lives – happy _because_ simple, no? At least in part?"

He hung on this point as if expecting a response, but Aiwa could only shrug. Her historical knowledge of technology and economics had yet to translate into an opinion on this matter.

Zaheer continued "Not even Chin the Conqueror could destabilise this state of peace. And who stepped in to stop him? The Avatar." He bowed his head to Aiwa. She could not tell if his respect was sincere or mere mockery, but he quickly qualified the gesture. "Can you see how my position has changed? I once sought the total annihilation of the Avatar, and until quite recently I still held this goal, but when men like Chin are examined from the position of maximising freedom… Well, I'm sure you can understand the conclusions I reached."

Aiwa was suspicious but hopeful. She prompted him to continue, and he did.

"Then Sozin came to power, temporarily removing the Avatar from the chain of cause and effect, and this changed _everything_." His emphasis on the last word was almost frightening. "Freedom in war is the number one driver of technological innovation, and most conflicts also bring about some measure of social change which would otherwise not occur – or at least would barely be possible. Now look at what has happened to the world since then! Impossible scientific advances, unbelievable structural changes in systems of government, and new attitudes which previous generations would not only have abhorred, but been unable to conceive of. Incredible things, and all possible because the Avatar was, for a time, neutralised. Even the Red Lotus would not exist without Sozin's actions and the countless effects that stemmed from them, washing outwards like ripples upon the sea of reality."

Aiwa could almost see the confusion in Zaheer's words. His expression was neither positive nor negative. He was a man faltering on the edge between one domain of belief and another.

" _Freedom, or balance?_ "

" _I'm not sure it's that simple._ "

" _Clearly, for Zaheer, it is._ "

Regardless, she knew what the next stage of the story was.

"Then…Junto came along," she spoke flatly.

"Exactly," Zaheer responded. "Another consequence of the disrupted Avatar cycle, a cycle which had previously been the prime force for balance and peace in the world. You've seen the end of this sad story. While there are many causes and conditions which bring about an event, it is certain that, had Junto not been the way he was – cursed – then the Great Winter have never have begun, and the population of this planet would be many times larger than it is now. You might be wondering how my seeking saviours are relevant to this? Let's just say that they gave me the… _objectivity_ I needed. Their words during our last conversation showed me a new path, though I suspect they didn't know it."

Pinning this last piece of information to her mental noteboard, Aiwa jumped back to the previous fact. "What do you mean when you say Junto was 'cursed'?"

"Well, I don't mean he was literally cursed, and you'd be foolish to believe in such superstitious nonsense these days. No, the truth is far simpler…and more terrible. Junto was a psychopath."

"What?" Aiwa blurted out, her mind grinding to a halt. Suddenly, everything made sense – so much so that she was overwhelmed by the cascading revelation. And biting at the back of her mind was the knowledge that the Preservation was still concealing things from her: she was fast learning that the official story presented to her was a far cry from the truth

"Yes, a psychopath, or at least suffering from some other mental illness – and in _him_ , that defect manifested itself in many ways. It explained his inability to connect emotionally with others, to understand their plight and pain, and to experience what would be best for them. For him, the process was always one of 'simplification': he would eliminate elements of the system to make his job easier, to make the problem of humanity easier to solve."

"That's horrible!"

"But that's how he thought. Are you even surprised? You know how he acted, what he thought was reasonable –"

"I just thought he took things…very seriously."

"Well, you could just say that's what psychopathy is. He couldn't engage properly with others and was open and unapologetic on political issues to a fault. He had no time for satire or humour at all. He was incredibly quick to kill and he foolishly aligned himself with the Jishu –"

"The Jishu were set to win from the start! How was that foolish?"

Zaheer smiled. "Here we have a more political disagreement. Balanced leadership seems to require equal parts harmony and supremacy. This was why the Diametric War was the perfect embodiment of imbalance, with the Wushi representing the former, and the Jishu the latter. But I digress." He cleared his throat. "Junto didn't care who was going to win – he wanted to know who was 'in the right', and so who to serve. Don't say it, I don't care." Aiwa was annoyed that Zaheer continually misused the pronoun, but held her tongue. "The Jishu were certainly the stronger faction, but I believe the world would have been better off, at least for a time, with the Wushi philosophy of natural harmony dominant."

"I don't agree with that, actually."

"Well, if I agreed with you then we'd both be wrong. But someone had to do something about Junto. Not even past Avatars supported him –"

"Seriously? How do you know –?"

"Stop interrupting me, and accept that I just know. Would I have said it if I didn't mean it? Now, I met Junto on a number of occasions. I also continued to associate with the Red Lotus, even if I found myself drifting away from them, and it was through their spies that I learned of Junto's condition. Jishu doctors were allowed to treat him – the Avatar thought it would do the world good if he let them study him. They concluded… Well, I don't know how he took it so well, but they told him directly that he was mentally damaged."

Aiwa thought for a moment, before putting in "Well, if he really took things so seriously, then surely he'd have been appreciative of the knowledge. It would help him better understand the system he was a part of."

"I'm glad you're beginning to understand how he thought. In the end, it didn't matter what was wrong with him. Armed with the knowledge delivered to me by my seekers, the Red Lotus and I battled Junto. Our first major sacrifice in battle gave us an edge: we already knew he could neither access nor control the Avatar state naturally, but we discovered that it could still be triggered by psychological trauma. He had a love interest, and we took advantage of it."

Aiwa felt her heart sink.

"What did you do?"

"We made sure they both suffered. Through her death, we managed to trigger something, and with a little bit of investigation, I realised we'd implanted an idea – no, a kind of _mental virus_ in his head…and it could destroy him. This is my greatest triumph…and my greatest sin."

The light from above the forest canopy faded a little, and Aiwa felt the air cool. It seemed as if the Spirit World itself knew what the two were talking about…and recoiled in horror from it.

"What was the idea?"

"Something began to haunt him. Junto's own mind turned on him. The Essential Horror began to pursue him. I don't think I could really describe to you what he experienced, but it can't have been pleasant. Perhaps it was the complete opposite of the equanimity that my saviours had attained before they vanished for the last time. It was like he began to see death and despair in everything, everywhere he went."

Zaheer paused for a moment, mouth slightly ajar, as though stuck on an old memory. Aiwa thought she could see regret in his eyes.

He continued "At first this ongoing experience barely seemed to affect Junto, but something happened shortly after the war ended, and from then on it grew wildly, making his behaviour... _erratic_. In my last alliance with the Red Lotus, we lured him to the Knotted Toe, having left a trail of hints to make him think we were planning something awful and final for the world. Junto massacred us there. We put up a fight, but this was the most powerful Avatar in all of history in his prime! There weren't many of us left, when –"

"I know how the story ends," Aiwa cut in, "but did you say that Junto couldn't go into the Avatar State of his own free will?"

Zaheer chuckled, before proceeding.

"I did – but there's more to it than that. Sometime before the end of the war, Junto accepted an offer to undergo surgery to _unlock_ his Avatar state."

"No way! That's possible?"

"It was – and history is the evidence. From studying the chi, Jishu scientists created incredible technologies. They experimented with shifting the concentrations of spiritual energies between physical domains, and one application of their research was the ability to combine with mind-mapping and alter Junto's brain sufficiently to remove whatever block it was. Can you believe that?"

"Barely," Aiwa replied, her eyes wide. "But it didn't stop him dying on the Knotted Toe. And the Eastern Spirit Portal was created. Then the volcanoes erupted?"

"You should have seen it!" Zaheer lifted his face to the sky, and in the green light reflected from the trees all around, Aiwa saw just how ancient he was: gaunt – almost fleshless, withering away. "I was locked away, but I knew that Xai Bau's ultimate vision had been fulfilled. The greatest human crisis, bringing civilisation to its knees – no, flattening it supine against nature's might! Food was scarce, and fresh water even more so. Disease became rife, and the feeble infrastructure that only a few countries had in place to deal with such an event was totally overwhelmed –"

"Shut up!" spat Aiwa. "You make it sound like a great thing!"

"Oh, it was great!" retorted Zaheer. "Terrible, yes, but great! And your own Seniors would argue that it was just what the world needed – a reset."

"It wasn't necessary! All that suffering –"

"Aiwa, life is suffering."

She held his gaze. Zaheer's eyes were filled with sadness, but Aiwa connected with him. For a moment, she comprehended what he meant on a far deeper level than could ever be voiced by humans.

Then, the moment was gone.

"I think you understand," finished Zaheer quietly, "even if I don't. And if I do, I certainly, won't be around for much longer to act upon such wisdom."

"Don't say that…"

"Once change has begun, Aiwa, it cannot be stopped. Life is change, from birth to death, and it is unstoppable. It's a part of what it means to be human."

For a minute, the pair simply sat in silence in the tiny forest clearing, both deep in thought. Then, Aiwa realised that there was one other thing she had to know.

"Zaheer, tell me all about the Red Lotus. Everything that you know, I also need to know. If you've truly drifted from them, then you'll see the good in helping me to forge my own destiny as the Avatar."

Her voice wavered a little near the end, but Aiwa knew her own conviction, and it seemed that Zaheer could see it also.

"Very well, but I'll need to be brief about about it."

But as he opened his mouth, he froze, and within a second, the old man had faded away without a trace.

They got him. Whoever they were, they had finally cut him off. And Aiwa was alone in the quiet clearing, with the humming of spirits and the rustling of leaves all around.

It was not enough. Zaheer was gone, and perhaps for good. The Red Lotus had finally got to him, perhaps. But it was not enough to learn all these things. Mysteries remained: what was the Preservation hiding, and why? And what about the knowledge Aang had tried to hide, and that Zaheer's followers had eventually found? And she still hadn't resolved the logical falsehood that Bataar had given her! There remained far too many nodes still unconnected in her mind. She lacked pieces of crucial information…and _they_ would know. The Preservation would know. Junto's tale continued to evolved as her knowledge increased, and it was already far deeper and more complex than the Preservation had taught her. But they had to know the whole truth. And she would have it from them, one way or another.

Aiwa closed her eyes and relaxed her mind. Her thoughts came and went, fleeting ghosts in the void, and as the minutes past, Aiwa sensed them less and less. Surely…

Surely the past Avatars could help her? Surely she could connect with them?

But it was not to be, for Aiwa felt nothing at all. The meditative trance was perfectly medium and neutral, sustained just as she had learned to, but it brought nothing to her. No spirits, no Avatars, nothing…and no one.

Aiwa was alone.

There she sat, deep in thought, for what seemed like an eternity.

What was Junto's legacy? What kind of damage had he done, both in the physical and spiritual realms, that his successor was so blocked?

* * *

At long last, it was time to leave. Aiwa had gained all she could from what she had learned, having thought it all through. She had consolidated her memories and made numerous deductions from connections old and new.

With no conscious intention, Aiwa suddenly found herself back at the Spirit Portal. She turned, deep in thought, and walked into the light. Once again, the white orbs flashed and the anger filled her veins, but Aiwa simply observed. She was herself – she owned herself exclusively, and not even the echoes of rage from a deceased Avatar could take that away.

The light vanished into a singular point, the Spirit World faded from view, and the universe span around her, blurring into indistinguishable colours and shapes…


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Rogue Will

Chapter Thirteen: Rogue Will  
256 AG, Early Autumn  
Eastern Spirit Portal, Knotted Toe, Eastern Plate, Earth Continent

* * *

For the first time ever, Aiwa's transit between the worlds was not an unstable experience. As reality wove itself around her, she stumbled out of the Spirit Portal, but held her balance. The slight ache in her head was already fading.

The sound of rushing air drew Aiwa's attention, but before she could react a rough hand clamped over her mouth. As she reached up to tug at the stone fist a second gauntlet latched onto her free hand and dragged her to the wall of the deep clearing, grinding her face into the dirt. She struggled against the powerful grip, but to no avail. The sound of footsteps upon the vines came to her ears, and Aiwa caught a glimpse of black flex-steel out of the corner of her eyes.

Someone sighed.

"Aiwa, what's wrong with you?" Bataar's voice exasperated, and Aiwa sensed some anger, too. A hand was placed upon her shoulder. "Do you know how this looks? Running off is suspicious behaviour – and this is twice in almost as many days! Are you looking for trouble? 'Cause you've found it now: I'm sorry, but this warrants restraint until ICE."

The clasp over Aiwa's mouth fell away, and she swallowed painfully.

"I don't care," she hissed through gritted teeth. "I had to do it!" Her jaw was aching against the hard stone of the cliff.

"Then you brought this on yourself."

For a moment, the grip on Aiwa's shoulder tightened in reproval, but only a second later, the hand was gone.

"Let's go," commanded Bataar, and as Aiwa heard the sound of his footsteps recede into the distance, another rose up, roaring and close: the throb and hum of a Huntingbird. The stone gauntlets cuffed her hands together behind her back, and Aiwa was turned roughly around. A pair of faceless UPF earthbenders forced her forwards towards a waiting metal platform hanging from a steel cable that glinted in the light of the nearby Portal.

Aiwa took one last look at the spiritual glow, and her heart sank.

* * *

"You can make this much easier for yourself," Bataar spoke sternly, "if you just talk to me, if you tell me what you did, where you went, and who you met. If the Shinju confirms that you've told me the truth of your own volition, it'll shed good light on your assessment. For what it's worth," he continued, tone softening a little, "I don't think you're compromised, just...confused." He smiled with what little kindness was possible in the situation. For all he knew, she really could be a full-blown traitor.

"What's 'the Shinju'?" Aiwa blurted out in spite of herself.

"It's the truth-seer machine that was clandestinely developed and subsequently put to use in weeding out the compromised Ancient. But, Aiwa, can't you just tell me what –"

"I'm not speaking with anyone but Xue," Aiwa responded forcefully, "and I don't care about the ICE."

"Then you're a fool," retorted Bataar, leaning back in his seat, arms folded and expression stern once more.

 _"Maybe I am, but at least I have principles!"_

 _"And he doesn't? The man's a Preservation Senior! He has decades more experience than you."_

 _"But are his intentions good?"_

 _"Just what, do you suppose, are good intentions? And it doesn't even matter! You're potentially about to be put to death."_

 _"I'm the Avatar! They need me as much as I need them, and they've put too much time and effort into building my reputation back up and growing me personally."_

 _"We'll see. If they conclude that you're compromised –"_

 _"They won't."_

 _"As I said, we'll see."_

Aiwa didn't know what time it was, only that the sky outside was incredibly dark. It had to be early morning, for she had spent many hours in the Spirit World and was tired. The faint glow of the rising Sun was hovering in the east. The sky was a beautiful deep blue, now she stared into its depths. There were hints of orange on the horizon, and faint rays of light tickled the highest clouds. The throb and hum of the shift-wing's engines was soothing, and with good reason, for as long as the wings beat and the turbines roared, they were still far from the Silent Fortress.

Aiwa's fear was subsiding. She still dreaded her return as a prisoner, having crossed the line one too many times, but the source of her fear had shifted. What caused her greater worry now was not her own fate, but rather her inevitable showdown with Xue. His anger and disappointment would be extreme, and even if she despised him, she feared this more than what they would do to her.

But what did that mean? Did she really...respect him? Was it even possible to respect that man?

Aiwa closed her eyes and relaxed back into her seat. Outside, the light was creeping over a cold world, but inside, the dark cabin was safe and warm.

* * *

An alarm sounded in the cabin, and Aiwa jerked awake.

"Nothing to worry," the pilot called out. "Just turbulence."

"Is the alarm really necessary?" Bataar grumbled.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

Aiwa tilted her head to one side and stared mindlessly at the rear hatch. Her head was hurting again. She wondered vaguely why the expected misery and hopelessness had not yet set in. She let her mind wander over all that she had learned, desperate to hold onto as much of her conversation with Zaheer as possible. She could tell that much of their exchange was already slipping away.

So...

Junto was a psychopath? It explained a lot, but was a disappointing end to one thread of Aiwa's interest. Could the sum total of suffering in the present really have been caused by a few faulty circuits in one man's brain? And how had the past Avatars simply let it happen? Couldn't they have somehow intervened to change his ways?

Aiwa wondered if she was beginning to obsess, if perhaps it was all too much for her to handle. Yes, it made sense that pursuing the truth would further her ideal in becoming an Avatar for Peace, but could it not also interfere with her duties as the Avatar?

 _"Duty be damned – I want the truth!"_

" _Which truth? What is it that you still seek? What unanswered questions are there?"_

She rubbed her temples, scowling inwardly at how reasonable her other self was sounding.

She no longer knew the answers to those questions: she didn't know what she didn't know. The facts were shaky, that was certain. The official history according to the Preservation was beginning to irk her, but she wasn't sure why. Somewhere, hidden deep within the web of interconnected ideas about the past and the present, there was an incompatibility. She couldn't put her finger on it, but how could she? Xue was right. They had never lied to her…

" _Haven't they?_ "

" _We'll see. I intend to challenge Xue over everything I've learned._ "

" _And what have you learned? Only that there is more in this world than the Preservation either knows or has told you about._ "

" _I'm the Avatar! It's becoming impossible to tell what they really want with me. Why not give me all the facts and let me grow?_ "

" _It can't be that simple. If nothing else, we can say that the Preservation is prudent in its dissemination of knowledge._ "

Aiwa let a slight smile cross her face. These internal arguments were amusing, but better still, they could lead to interesting insights and conclusions. One they had produced during her most recent time of contemplation in the Spirit World – an inference to the best explanation – had fantastic explanatory power.

Firstly, Aiwa knew that the past Avatars had despised and rejected Junto – at least, Zaheer had told her so. And Aiwa was beginning to trust Zaheer far more than was probably wise.

Secondly, she knew that Avatar Korra had, if only grudgingly, allowed herself to be studied to a small extent. It was a necessary part of the scientists' plan to help her reconnect with her past lives. The neurological data that had come from that Avatar had, ironically, been of paramount importance in assisting her successor in overcoming her influence.

Thirdly, and following from the previous premise, Aiwa also knew that an Avatar possesses a brain far, far different from that of the average human. Structural differences are required to bend all four elements and to enter the Avatar State, not to mention ease passage between the two dimensions of reality, the two parts of one whole. But this philosophy, the raw knowledge that such abilities depend upon nothing more than a specific brain state was the pebble that caused the avalanche. And with the Jishu's development of mind-mapping and possession of the most skilled surgeons in the world, Junto had finally been able to access his ultimate power.

And so Aiwa concluded this: Korra and the other past Avatars had used whatever power they had as isolated spirits to block Junto's access to the Avatar state. Junto was far from the only Avatar in history to use his powers to harm others, but he was the first to do so remorselessly. With his unswerving intention to make the world a better place according to his own limited vision, he was the first truly _evil_ Avatar. And his intentions had consequences beyond his direct actions. Those who still lived in this cold world, those who remembered his touch, recalled it with hatred and with horror. If the Avatar was to mean anything good to mankind in the future, Aiwa had a lot of work to do. Korra and the others had surely foreseen this danger, the destruction of the Avatar's name in the eyes of the people, besides the raw damage Junto's actions caused. So they fought to hold him back, to stop him inflicting so much pain and suffering upon the world…but they had ultimately failed.

Then, there was Zaheer.

Who was he really _?_ A former Red Lotus member at least partially responsible for Junto's death, and with a fixation on the new Avatar. Zaheer's initially cryptic behaviour had given way to an untrammelled discussion flowing through ancient and recent history and into the present state of the world. But why _?_ What was his erstwhile goal, the one he had recently given up? What were his purpose and intentions now? His words had implied that the Red Lotus had not disappeared completely, but how could he know that? Was he their prisoner? He was surely _someone's_ prisoner.

Aiwa was tired. Her confusion and frustration were too great, yet the mystery of it all remained. They were indelible to her. How would this all end? With her death? With everyone's? With a life of deceit under the "guidance" of the Preservation? Or with balance and truth?

 _"You're now equating balance and truth, or at least putting them on the same side in this battle."_

 _"Is there really a battle?"_

 _"I think so. It's insidious, and the assumption that these concepts take sides at all is dangerous."_

Soon enough, Aiwa nodded off again.

* * *

One day later, the Huntingbird was nearing the Silent fortress. The journey had been dull and stagnant. Aiwa had no desire to speak with Bataar, and he appeared too thoughtful to engage with her anyway.

"So what's going to happen?" she asked calmly, finally deciding that the question needed asking. The future was bleak, but still uncertain. Was there hope for her?

"Well," Bataar spoke, straightening up in his chair, "I've been in contact with the Seniors, and we've made a decision. I had very little input, but I'm… _pleased_ with the outcome. I think it's appropriate for you." His face was impassive, and Aiwa wasn't sure what he felt. "You'll be taken to the edge of the Habitation Zone, and left outside."

"Of course," she breathed, almost laughing. She turned away to stare out of the window, quoting out loud "'My future is of my own volition.'" It was a line from one of the earliest drafts of Preservation philosophy. An individual's actions when given certain freedoms could speak volumes about their designs and inner struggles. It seemed that the Preservation was going to give Aiwa her freedom and see what she'd do. But was that freedom at all? For they would surely just recapture her if she chose to leave and set off into the cold wilderness. They still needed the Avatar.

"You'll be given this one, final opportunity. No more." Bataar was serious, but Aiwa was unimpressed.

"I'm fairly certain something to that effect was said last time…"

Aiwa's voice trailed off as she looked through the window. Far below, the clouds that shrouded the expansive Western Serpent's Sea and Old Shewen Land were parting to reveal the grey mass that was the Habitation Zone.

"Pilot, land in the assembly area by the eastern gates."

"Yes sir."

As the Huntingbird put down in a wide clearing of bare stone, the trees all around were battered by the uncaring winds from its wings. Aiwa shivered a little, though not from the cold. She was marched outside by the UPF earthbenders and stood some distance from the waiting aircraft, which was still powered up.

"Alright, let her loose now. She's no threat."

The earthbenders pulled off the stone cuffs, and Aiwa rubbed her wrists. She knew the game they were playing. She knew the choices being offered her.

Bataar gave her a strange look. It was not unkind, but filled nevertheless with the sort of reproach one might receive from a best friend: perplexed and disappointed. The chief chi-technician had once been such a jolly man, full of life and brimming with pride in his work. He had been so motivated, and had shown it too. Now he was just what the Preservation needed: a man who did his job better and better as the years went by, but whose soul seemed to seep away with the passage of time. There was very little left of the old Bataar _Junior_. He was a sober, serious man, with the all traces of youthful vigour lost to the years of his past.

"You know what happens now," he said simply, before signalling to the men to rejoin him in the Huntingbird. "Make your choice."

As the shift-wing blasted off and away into the sky, heading north for the airstrip, Aiwa stood alone in the clearing. She was suddenly aware of how very cold it was becoming, but made no attempt to warm herself. Her will had been drained and now her mind ached with her tiresome and seemingly futile pursuit inner peace…

What was it that she sought? Was did she really want?

In the end, that was why they had left her out here, beyond the walls of the Habitation Zone. If she wanted to help – if she had reason to come back to them – then she could re-enter the Silent Fortress. If not, then the wide world awaited, cold, hostile, and almost completely devoid of human life.

She had to choose.

Alone in the cold clearing, the magnitude of her predicament dawning upon her, Aiwa began to pace. Her mind was now racing, thoughts tearing and churning up the sea of consciousness like waves whipped up by a mental typhoon. Soon, it all came pouring out, and the competing entities within her head argued out loud.

"Why would I not go back? Everyone I know and love is there – I should care more about them than I do!"

"And everyone who does you wrong is also there. What is the Preservation still hiding?

Aiwa pressed her hands to her temples, growing angry.

"I don't know!" she cried bitterly. "Nothing! I haven't been lied to, I haven't even treated unfairly at all. _I'm_ the one who's out of line, not them."

"What about Zaheer? How does he fit in to all of this? And Junto? Something's still not right there. And the Bright Lance? So much secrecy for something that doesn't admit of a proper explanation. Not to mention that _book_ –"

Aiwa sighed. She knew what she had do. The decision had made itself.

Aiwa had nothing but her confusion now. In the wilderness she would die, starved of food and warmth and the answers to all her questions. She was missing Pema and San, and even her parents a little. The warmth of family love was returning after their argument. And in spite of all that was still unclear, Aiwa held the Preservation's stated intentions as her own goals. No one escapes their conditioning. She had to go back.

* * *

Aiwa strode through the clean streets, keeping her hood up and her wits about her. They probably were expecting her return, and both parties knew that re-entry would lead to ICE, but it didn't matter. This was submission to Preservation justice and will.

She passed a number of faceless UPF soldiers outside a dark food hall. An elderly woman in old Fire Nation garb was muttering anxiously to a dark visor, and Aiwa heard a distinct reply from the soldier.

"Look, this is all we can do. If you don't like it, leave! You're always free to do that."

"I'd never survive. I need my family, and I –"

"Yeah, who takes care of you and your family? Who provides, while the Winter rages outside?"

The woman plodded away, muttering to herself, and the soldier shook their head.

"Move along, please. This is a secured zone." Another soldier had addressed Aiwa, who had stopped to observe the exchange. Aiwa nodded, and headed off towards the Central Compound.

* * *

"Zhain!"

The firebender looked up, his expression changing in a heartbeat from sullen boredom to surprise. Aiwa had been charging up the green hill towards the Central Compound, her mind filling slowly with anger like the trickling stream that feeds a lake. It had to flood eventually. The cold breeze amongst the bamboo thickets and small pines did little to cool her temper, and the sight of her arrogant firebending teacher only incensed her further.

"Aiwa! Hello…?"

His voice trailed off at the look on her face, and he took a step back. Aiwa barely knew where to begin. What had he heard about her?

"Have you seen Pema? Or San? Are they around?" she asked, struggling to keep the aggression out of her voice.

"Hey, keep your tone civil, please –"

"Civil be damned!" Aiwa cussed. Her rage was growing – but why? What was its source and its speed? Out of the vastness of her consciousness, something was emerging: a shapeless idea, vague yet present, obvious yet impenetrable.

"Not recently, sorry. Why, have you lost them?" Zhain, normally an epitome of mental stability, was evidently quite disturbed by Aiwa's seemingly unwarranted aggression. "Actually, thinking about it now, I haven't seen them for a few days –"

Aiwa swore loudly and barged past him.

The wind was picking up, its icy touch biting into her skin. Autumn was well and truly upon them, and winter would follow close behind.

* * *

The Central Compound had passed by as if in a dream. Aiwa scarcely felt the cold now. A few familiar faces had called her name with uncertainty, but she felt unstoppable. In any case, she certainly could not have stopped herself.

Up and up she trekked, full of a seemingly alien energy. The panels of corrugated steel that sheltered the crenellations glinted in the patchy sunlight as the cloud cover slowly dispersed, the day moving into afternoon. Aiwa was tired, but not yet ready to yield to weakness, physical or mental.

As she reached the top of the rise, Aiwa's exhaustion finally caught up with her, draining away her energy and her anger. Ice glinted on the twin peaks, shining down like the last beacons of civilisation. The sparse pines were bathed in the bright light of the emerging Sun, and the grey shape of the Sanctuary Gardens was just visible beyond the trees. The faint sounds of the wind clawing at the cliff bells reached Aiwa's ears. Before her, ominous and impassive, stood a figure in flowing grey robes. His expression was unfathomable.

"Welcome back," Xue spoke quietly, his lips barely moving.

Aiwa breathed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. This was her surrender. If there was any intention of apprehending her, she offered herself freely now.

But Xue did nothing.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Aiwa was spent, her physical form withering from fatigue and her stomach churning with sudden hunger. She had not eaten properly in several days.

"It's good to be back," she replied hoarsely, still catching her breath.

"I trust your trip was…enjoyable?" Xue's act was translucent, but Aiwa knew how to respond. Even submerged in total confusion, she had no time for his games.

"I think 'enlightening' is a more appropriate word."

"Quite," Xue spoke musingly. "Well, shall we?"

Aiwa nodded. She wanted to speak, to challenge him over the secrecy and the mysteries, to reveal what she had discovered in order to force his hand. But what had she discovered? In the Preservation's eyes, surely nothing of consequence. There was no lie she could pick apart, no ill intention she could assault – nothing.

And so she submitted.

"Come," Xue spoke coldly, turning as he began to walk away, "don't loiter – we have much to discuss."

Aiwa followed her teacher through the sparse alpine woods that smelled of rot and fungus, into the grey concrete of the first office complex, through the clean red and white corridors, and through Xue's own office into the garden beyond. She felt powerless. There was great frustration within her, but it felt...unjustified. The physical means with which to give it voice and power had dissipated. Even if she hadn't followed, it wouldn't have mattered. In spite of her own freedom, she suddenly felt more helpless than ever before. The trio of stone sentinels seemed to glare down at her, cold and judging.

At the centre of the stone plinth, by the sundial, Xue turned back to her.

"You're a mess." He broke the news bluntly. "Your clothes are filthy, you smell, and your face is just weeping exhaustion."

Aiwa didn't care for his insults. "And?" she shot back.

Xue seemed a little taken aback by this. His tactic to beat her down was unnecessary, for Aiwa was already a mess, and they both knew it.

"I hear you've had quite an experience," he stated calmly, his tone shifting a little towards cordial. "A trip to the Spirit World."

"I learned some things," Aiwa offered vaguely, beginning to sag under the combined weight of her physical and mental exhaustion. Xue pondered this, before responding.

"Aiwa," he spoke calmly, "we need to know you've learned. You can't escape ICE."

"I know."

"And you're aware of this?"

"Yes."

"And still you returned?"

Aiwa nodded, and Xue smiled. It was a genuine smile, a rare feature upon the tough man's face.

"Good. This will look favourably upon your trial."

"It's not a trial," Aiwa spat, unable to help herself, "it's a mockery of justice."

Xue raised his eyebrows.

"Under normal circumstance, I'd be inclined to launch into a discussion of what 'justice' is. You'd benefit from it greatly, but..." He raised a hand and seemed to wave to something or someone behind Aiwa. "Now is not the time."

Aiwa heard heavy footfalls in the grass behind her, but did not move.

She had given up.

"Bring her," he called out, "but gently, if you can."

Aiwa closed her eyes. Then, darkness took her.

* * *

Aiwa sat alone in the cell, her head aching. The strike that had rendered her unconscious had been so precise that very little force had been required, and it had long since ceased to bother her. No, this pain was like the return of an old bully who had clawed his way back into her life, grinning with malicious intention. The throbbing grew in intensity at times, but it was always inherently the same: her old ache, the blocked bending, the agony after her operation, somehow recalled from the past.

The cold stone and simple bars of her cell were just like that – ancient and simple, and a strong prison against the non-bender. But the entire mountain was bathed in the power of an anti-bending field. The generator was surely deep within the mountain's core, sustained by a smaller version of the T2 reactor that lay beneath the Sanctuary Gardens. Combined, the bars and the blocked bending destroyed all hope of escaping.

And even if she could escape, what then? What would be the point? Where would she go? Why _should_ she flee? For the first time in her life, Aiwa was without a goal, without a purpose. Her whole being, the sum total of her existence was under the dominion of others. And so Aiwa could only wait, drained of all desire and filled finally with a feeling she had dreaded yet managed to escape from her whole life, until now.

She was lonely.

By and by, Xue came along. He stopped outside the bars of Aiwa's cell, staring in impassively. Natural light trickled in from the shafts cut into the mountainside. There was no circuitry up here, just the holding cells and the ICE chambers. Aiwa knew where she had been taken, in spite of the darkness between the Sanctuary Gardens and her awakening here. She refused to meet Xue's gaze.

After a minute, Xue disappeared momentarily before returning with a wooden stool. Seating himself upon it, he leaned against the bars of the cell and stared blankly at Aiwa. She returned his gaze at length.

The wedge of anger that had driven itself between them in Ba Sing Se was nowhere to be found, and now there was a kind of calm that felt devoid of everything. There was nothing left.

Aiwa managed to summon up a faint smile, before deciding to speak.

"I don't suppose you could tell me where my friends are?" she asked quietly.

"They were taken for questioning when word reached us that you'd fled to the Spirit World, but they've been released, now. They didn't know anything about your deeper intentions, assuming you have such."

"That's good," Aiwa responded quietly. "Good."

"So, what shall we talk about?" Xue asked quietly. "We're processing a lot of people right now – and not just the captured rebels from Ba Sing Se. The facilities weren't designed to handle so much ICE all at once. I take it you've heard of our internal troubles? The compromised Ancient and the Shinju detector?"

"I have," Aiwa replied simply. There was nothing more to be said on the topic.

"In any case, we have some time. I've been instructed to begin your interrogation as soon as possible, but I'm not going to interrogate you. Do you know why?"

Aiwa was a little confused by this unexpected turn of events.

"No, why?"

Xue cleared his throat.

"Now, you can be as sceptical about this as you like, but…well, to put it bluntly, I still think there's hope for us. Your flaws aren't fatal – they aren't even dangerous. You're doing, frankly, what we should have expected you to do under the circumstances. I'm starting to suspect that it's us Seniors who are going about things the wrong way. We're trying to bring back the Avatar in body, spirit, and reputation, but we…well, what's your judgement on our progress? After all, you're the subject of this experiment, whether you like it or not."

Aiwa was silent, thinking. This was a side of Xue rarely seen by anyone – mellow and apologetic, if not explicitly.

"How honest can I be?" she asked after a minute's thought. Xue smiled, chuckled very slightly.

"Considering your situation, I'd recommend mustering all the honesty you can. But there's no surveillance here. Anything you say stays between us. This isn't for your ICE, and we've got the Shinju, now. You've heard of it, yes?" Aiwa nodded. "But no, I'd like you to talk freely, if you can. Say whatever you want, ask questions – just don't expect answers – but please, let me help you. We're on the same side here –"

"Are we?" Aiwa cut in. Xue took a deep breath.

"Why don't you tell me?"

As sick as she was of hearing that phrase uttered, Aiwa replied.

"I just feel…directionless," she spoke after an uncertain pause, "and alone. It's like the energy of my whole life is going into this… _process_ , this search for the truth – whatever that even means! Life is gaining complexity, gaining mystery at a rate I can't keep up with anymore, and it's overwhelming. I have no one to turn to, no one to help me, no one to confide in." She thought of Zaheer vanishing from the Spirit World. "Not now."

"What do you mean, 'not now' –?"

"Hold it," snapped Aiwa, "it's my turn! I struggle and I battle with myself and with others and I just… See, even these words are insufficient. I can't do anything right! I can't…"

At the peak of her tirade, Aiwa found herself weeping.

"What's it all for?" she cried, the grief pouring out of some unknown source, finally tapped. "I'm fighting, but against who? And what for? And _why_? Why is it all such a _struggle_?"

Aiwa leaned back against the cold stone wall of her cell and wiped her face on her sleeve, feeling the cold sting of painful tears. Even though her eyes were closed, she could imagine the look on Xue's face.

His words, however, dispelled her image entirely.

"It's tough," he said quietly. "I'll let you in on a little secret: every Senior has had at least one major crisis of thought in their time. I myself still have moments like yours where my own mind becomes my worst enemy. It's the most amazing, absurd curse, that the kind of mind required to do what we do tortures itself. It can be difficult to –"

"Shut up," choked Aiwa, opened her eyes. She caught Xue's gaze, and suddenly the two of them began to laugh. They simply chuckled together, the absurdity of the situation flowing freely.

"I have a hypothesis," Xue spoke after a few minutes of gentle laughter, "and hear me out, because I think it will help both of us. So what causes a clash like this? Like ours? What could possibly cause it?"

"Well, I could start being accusatory again, but I don't think it'd be…" Aiwa couldn't finish her sentence, and burst out laughing again. Xue, however, was a little more serious now.

"It wouldn't serve a purpose, I know," he said, still smiling. "Now, I'd tentatively say that, in the grand scheme of things, we both have the same goals, right? We both want the same things. What would they be?"

"Survival of the species as a minimum," Aiwa answered immediately, "and Preservation of the knowledge required to bring mankind out of the darkness."

"Your wording is interesting. These may be dark times, but I wouldn't exactly call a lot of what mankind has done 'light', in a good sense. But the essence is there, I think. This is what we both desire. So if we want the same things, why all this?" He gestured to the cold steel bars of her cell. "Why this…disagreement?"

Aiwa burst out laughing again.

"That's putting it mildly!"

"Of course it is. Would you prefer 'contention'? Or maybe 'dispute'? What about 'rumbling'? But again, why this disagreement? I'll tell you why: bad communication."

"I'm not so sure that's the only reason."

"Every single clash can be boiled down to some combination of differing values or information. Do you agree?"

"That depends on very, very liberal interpretations of those words. But yeah, I think I can agree. If I say our methods are different, then you'll just reply by saying that one or both of us are ignorant of the ideal method. I can see where you're going from here, so skip to the end." Aiwa was growing weary.

"We're miscommunicating. Somehow, we – the Seniors – are failing in our duty to you _,_ the Avatar. We should be helping you reach your greatest potential, not locking you away in a cell awaiting ICE! And yet here we find ourselves."

Aiwa was a little irritated, for Xue had succeeded in making her feel guilty while attacking the actions of himself and of his peers.

"I don't think the fault is yours alone," she said, averting her gaze. "I could communicate better, too."

"Indeed," Xue said, almost dismissively, "but I think the far greater responsibility is ours – those with greater power, knowledge, and influence, those in charge, those running the show. Are you getting my drift?"

Aiwa nodded.

"Now, having said all that, I'm going to backtrack. Is there anything you'd like to tell me? You've let out a lot of tension and emotion, but I can tell you're still seething, even if you can't see it yourself. So, Avatar Aiwa, I invite you to speak freely. Talk to me."

* * *

"And that..." Aiwa sighed, after a monologue that spanned an epoch. "...Is why I feel compelled to seek the truth. In order to better serve this world, in order to fulfil my duties as the Avatar, I have to _know_. More than that, I have to experience everything properly to understand it all. And how can I do that with the truth hidden from me?"

She finished on a sad note, having delivered the sum total of her knowledge to Xue. Everything, from her meetings with Zaheer, to her knowledge of Junto, to her suspicions about the Red Lotus and the Bright Lance was now out in the open. Yet the feeling was one of tremendous freedom. There was nothing for her now but to accept the future with open arms and welcome it as a fresh opportunity, whether it be balance, death, or anything in between.

"Aiwa," spoke Xue after a little thought, "first of all, thank you for being so open. I don't know whether you're still withholding anything, but I suspect, given the passionate quality of the tale you just told, that it was everything."

"It really was." Aiwa was almost pleading. "Now, can you tell me things?"

She knew the answer to her question even as she asked it. They had not lied, and surely had good reasons for withholding some of the facts – if they were at all.

Xue shook his head.

"I'm afraid I can't," he spoke sadly. "And perhaps it's a failing on our part, but I'm reluctant in the extreme to reveal certain information. But let me confirm a few things for you: firstly, everything Zaheer told you is, to my knowledge, true; secondly, what you suspect about Junto's relationship with the past Avatars is also true, and I commend you for reasoning your way to that conclusion; thirdly, the problem you've detected with the history of the Bright Lance is just that – a problem. But I cannot resolve it for you. Not yet."

Aiwa felt downtrodden. She had placed the last of her hopes and dreams into this confession, and what had she received?

 _"A lot more than you think, actually. Be grateful for what he has confirmed for you."_

 _"Really? It's not enough!"_

 _"But will it not have to suffice, at least for now?"_

"When?" Aiwa blurted out, giving voice to her inner concerns. "When will you tell me?"

"Tell you what, exactly?" replied Xue, smiling faintly, and Aiwa understood the deeper meaning before he even tried to explain it. "The day will come when..." He paused, uncertain of his own words. "But I think you understand," he finished soberly.

In spite of herself, Aiwa nodded in mellow acquiescence

* * *

A day later, Aiwa sat alone on the side of her bed, reflecting on all that had transpired.

The twin voices were back.

 _"Can I really trust them? Can I?"_

 _"Once again, there is no 'us' and 'them'! Discard this mentality and take your rightful place as a force for good. What about Xue's point? You both want the same thing in the end, and can you really doubt that the Preservation has the best means of reaching that goal? The best knowledge? The best path?"_

 _"Yeah, I can doubt it. How can obscurity be the best path?"_

 _"There has to be a good reason for it. When the Winter subsides, when humans can repopulate without fear of reprisal from an avenging planet, they'll need their Avatar. That's what the Preservation wants you for. They understand that need."_

Aiwa buried her head in her hands.

 _"And what if this pattern just repeats? If I can pass one ICE, can I pass them all? What if I go out seeking once more, only to cross another line and find that they're not as forgiving a second time?"_

 _"Just trust. Trust in them. Trust that you don't understand right now, but that someday you will. Remember what he said..._

Xue's face loomed in her mind's eye. He spoke.

 _"Events are now in motion that cannot be stopped. As your friend Zaheer would say, 'Once change has begun, it cannot be stopped.' We're changing the world, Aiwa, slowly but surely. I can't say exactly when, but I can tell you that, soon, you'll understand."_

The knock at the door startled Aiwa, wrenching her out of her own wretched thoughts and into the world of conscious reality. It was getting late, and evening visits were uncommon. Still, as Aiwa smiled at her friends barging through the door uninvited to see her, San and Pema were hardly common folk.

Pema charged forwards and wrapped Aiwa up in a tight hug. San came in from the side and joined them, and Aiwa closed her eyes and rested in the grip of her friends.

Nothing needed to be said.

Eventually, however, Pema spoke anyway.

"Gosh, you foolish girl!" she breathed, and she and Aiwa shared a laugh.

"Lay off her!" San grunted, throwing a mock punch at Pema's shoulder. "She's had a hard time."

"I really need to sleep," Aiwa spoke placidly, aware of how exhausted she was. ICE was not painful – not unless it needed to be, and such cases were rare – but the process was hardly comfortable. 'Gruelling' was a good word for it. Intentions and Competency Examination – ICE – a total invasion of every mental privacy imaginable.

"Not before I apologise to you!" Pema stood up and looked down at her friend, her face filled with tension. "Aiwa, I'm sorry I caused that grief with Johto. I've thought it through, and I've decided not to act on what I know. You're right: it wouldn't serve a positive purpose to break their relationship over an inconsequential act. But tell me one thing..." She faltered for a moment. San gave Aiwa a perplexed look, clueless.

"Was it nice?" Pema asked slyly, biting her lip.

Aiwa burst out laughing. Pema joined in, and San turned away, a rough hand covering his eyes. He'd figured out what was going on.

"It really was," replied Aiwa, wiping away tears of mirth, "but, Pema dear, I know better now, too. I'm going to find nice, unattached boys from now on – people I can't hurt just by trying to get something that simple from them."

Aiwa thought she saw a shadow pass over Pema's face, and imagined her friend's unspoken reaction: _You really think sex is a simple matter?_ However, Pema's smile did not falter, and she held her peace.

"That's really good, Aiwa. Good and proper and... _moral_ of you."

"Can we just tell her what we're here to tell her?" grunted San, turning back to face the giggling women. "Aiwa's not the only one who's tired, OK?"

"Fine, Mr. Grumpy! Well, Aiwa, San and I were up late at the Sanctuary Gardens getting final clearance to return to regular duties after the questioning. A messenger arrived from the APD – that's The Atmospheric Physics Department," Pema clarified, and Aiwa nodded in recognition.

"What did it say?"

"They've found a solution," San replied earnestly.

"To what?"

"The Winter."


	15. Chapter Fourteen: The Path of Life

Chapter 14: The Path of Life  
256 AG, Mid Autumn  
The Roughs, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

* * *

Aiwa was beginning to tire. She was training out on the Roughs in the heat of the midday sun. Through twisting, dodging, and blocking she was able to dissipate or evade all of her master's fire, but the task was becoming more and more difficult. They had been practicing for over an hour now, yet Zhain would not let up. Aiwa could see the smug grin on his face. He was enjoying this greatly.

Holding back for a few seconds, the young Senior drew back to give Aiwa a moment to catch her breath, before striking again, now moving forwards with his punches. Aiwa recognised that she was far too tired to break his route, so instead began a fighting retreat –

"No no _no_!" Zhain practically shrieked, throwing up his arms as he gave up his attack, "I said to hold your position! What if you were back against a wall? There'd be nowhere to go, and you foe would become the victor –"

"I need a break," Aiwa snapped, cutting over her master. "I'm tired, and I'm not going to find myself totally exhausted and pinned down like –"

"But you need to be prepared for anything!" Zhain sighed, shaking his head. "I expected better, Avatar." He turned and walked back to his starting position on the flat of the Roughs. "Take your stance and go again."

But Aiwa stayed exactly where she was, shaking with both exhaustion and anger.

"I said I need a break! Can I at least sit –?"

"No, you can't," Zhain shot back loudly. He was still smiling. "Come on, we need to get you into shape. Again!"

In spite of her fatigue, Aiwa's growing rage was realised in a moment of violence. She growled, stepping forwards and blasting fire at Zhain with as much force as she could muster. But the master simply dropped low to the ground and let the torrent of heat pass harmlessly overhead. Aiwa sank to the ground, panting and depleted, but Zhain was immediately standing over her.

"That, Avatar," he spat, "was the height of disrespect. Now, get up – we're not finished yet!"

"I am…" panted Aiwa, but Zhain sighed and turned away his hands behind his head.

"I guess I'll mark you down for another unsatisfactory session. The council won't be pleased –"

"You're pushing me too hard!" Aiwa hissed at him. "I've come so far in just a few months… Just how much is enough for you?"

Zhain turned to look at her once more, his sly grin returning. He cracked his knuckles.

"You tell me. So far, I'm unconvinced we've even reached your limits. I think you're just being _lazy_." His inflection on the last word was the straw that broke the camelephant's back.

"You want a scar like Zuko's?" Aiwa yelled at him. "Arsehole!"

The small crowd of junior members that had been watching their training session began to stir uncomfortably, but Aiwa didn't care. Zhain crossed his arms, unfazed.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked quietly.

"You're damn right it is," Aiwa spat back, scrambling to her feet to look him straight in the eyes. "I'm stronger than you, and I'm gonna show you!"

Zhain's smile vanished, and he walked right to Aiwa so that their noses were only a few centimetres apart. They were almost the same height.

"Good," he spoke quietly. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Aiwa's life had mostly returned to normal – if the life of an Avatar could ever be 'normal'. A month had passed since her ICE, and Aiwa felt that she was entering a time of renewal.

Recently, she had experienced the most profound thing. Of all the excursions she had been upon, this was by far the most unique. Jinora had taken her deep into the Masami Caverns, where the rush and ebb of the spiritual energies was more intense than anywhere else on Earth. There, amidst the tides of ethereal experience, Aiwa had managed, for the first time ever, to meditate into the Spirit World on her own. Since then, her connection to planet's chi had strengthened even further, and she had found that her firebending had grown much stronger. Better yet, she could now meditate into the Spirit World at will! All the better to search for Zaheer, if he was even still alive...

On the very last warm night of the autumnal forecast, Aiwa found herself sitting atop the cliffs that clasped the Central Compound and held it firmly against the hillside. The particular rocky spot she had chosen was just above her own bedroom. Perhaps just a few metres below her was her bed, but Aiwa was not tired. On the contrary, she was driven to learn, having spent the better part of the day either shouting at Zhain or grumbling to Xue about having shouted at Zhain.

Sitting upon the dry rocks, Aiwa felt the cool wind against her skin. Strangely, she found herself wishing that it was colder. She was reading more of _Tea and History_. Even if it was essentially a children's book, it was widely regarded as Iroh's seminal work, popular and influential.

Tonight, there was an aurora. It was not distracting, but rather comforting, and the soft, celestial lights even aided Aiwa's concentration. There was light enough to read by from the Silent Fortress alone, but with the aurora washing the sky above, the atmosphere was one of perfect ease and tranquillity. Aurora, she decided, was a lovely name for a child.

Aiwa turned away from the night sky and back to her book. She had reached a series of paragraphs which, for reasons that escaped her, made her feel deeply unsettled.

 _As waves upon the ocean of existence, we would not exist, but for the ocean itself. We might think of ourselves as separate, but the universe knows better. We are guided to live, to experience the reality that is this oneness. While I counsel the seeker to meditate on the Way of all things, I would also advise anything between that and having tea with a complete stranger! It is one of life's true delights, and profound and otherwise inaccessible wisdom can be attained through such a simple yet deep connection. As long as one is mindful of the Way, any of life's activities, be they rest or toil bringing sorrow or joy, can help you._

Passages like these passed right through Aiwa, scarcely interacting with her mind. This wisdom seemed to be above her, and yet...

She felt that it all came back to the meditators and the book. She noted the urge to meditate on one's own experiences.

She turned another page as the wind picked up. Suddenly, a little scrap of paper flew free from the book. It was not a page, and appeared to have been slipped in as a bookmark or reference of some kind. As if intentionally denying her the knowledge written upon it, the air itself tore the scrap from Aiwa's clutches and blew it along the cliff. Aiwa immediately dropped the book and gave chase.

As she sprinted along the clifftops, Aiwa experienced another moment, another _singularity_. The world around her, dark and shapeless, seemed to slide away into oblivion. For a moment, all that was left was Aiwa and her desire to reach the fluttering scrap, and the scrap itself. Then, Aiwa's desire melded into her identity, and she was one with the urge. Then, the object of the urge, the piece of paper itself joined with her – with the desire to hold it – there was no difference.

Then, the moment was gone.

Aiwa stood on the cliffs, very near the edge, panting a little as she clutched the slip of paper with trembling fingers. High above, clouds raced by with a ferocity that led the imagination to think of a grand, cosmic race, or perhaps some celestial errand of the utmost urgency. Down here on the ground, however, Aiwa's life in this moment could not have been simpler.

 _The gift of truth excels all other gifts._

Aiwa read the scrap again and again and again. Every time, the shapes entered her perception, became words with her conception, and faded into memory, leaving ripples of understanding upon the sea of consciousness.

After a few minutes of growing anger, Aiwa crumpled the piece of paper in her fist before burning it to a crisp within her grasp. The ashes blew away in the breeze, and Aiwa finally felt cold. From on high, the stars blinked down with neither love nor malice. They simply _were_.

A dreamless night awaited her.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Xue asked as Aiwa walked with him a few days later.

"Alright, I guess. Lately, it really feels like Zhain's been using me as a punching bag... I don't know if a formal Agni Kai is going to lessen or just increase that behaviour."

"You're not speaking very kindly of him, or with much respect. Remember, he is your master."

"Yeah yeah, I get it. But I'm really, really interested to start learning the forms for other elements."

A lizard crow cried out from the top of a nearby pine, but Aiwa could not make out its grey form amongst the branches. She and Xue were trekking in the alpine forest beyond the Sanctuary Gardens. The great stretch of woodland rose up to tickle the feet of the northern mountains themselves. The morning was still early, but though the air was cold, Aiwa felt she needed the walk. The chill seemed to bring something within her to life that was otherwise dormant, and she liked it.

Xue seemed almost puzzled at Aiwa's enthusiasm. "Even before you've mastered firebending? Even before you're able to bend the other elements at all?"

Aiwa was thoughtful, but only for a moment.

"Yes. I'm starting to think that it's the best path. This way, when I do finally work out the other elements, I'll have a head start. Until then, the other forms will help me learn, right? And perhaps just moving in the right way will trigger something. It doesn't seem unlikely. After all..." She thought for a moment. "That's what bending is, right? A particular interaction between a human's physical form and the chi fields around them, brought about by a specific combination of brain state and bodily motion."

Xue frowned at Aiwa, momentarily incredulous.

"Very good! You've been doing your research."

He gave Aiwa a respectful nod, and Aiwa replied with a simple smile.

"Back to the Agni Kai," Xue said suddenly, "I know it feels like Zhain has been particularly harsh recently, but he really does have your best interests at heart. He's an excellent teacher, even if his methods seem cruel at worst and impractical at best."

Aiwa nodded.

"Actually, what I'm worried about most is...myself."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been getting really angry recently – far angrier than in the past. It comes out unexpectedly, and I'm afraid it'll –"

"One source of a firebender's power is anger, you know," Xue spoke quietly, looking away. Aiwa didn't take him seriously.

"And another, the more powerful source, and the origin of anger, is the unflinching will to accomplish tasks and desires."

Her response was textbook, and Xue frowned at her.

"But it's all on a learning curve, Aiwa. Just because the best way to bend fire is through discipline and neutral drive, that doesn't mean that it's the easiest. It isn't always the most appropriate way to start out, and I suspect that you might find yourself relying on your anger more and more for firebending."

Aiwa stopped.

"What are you saying?" she asked, almost accusingly.

Xue sighed, turning back to stand beside.

"Well, during the Hundred Year War, the old Fire Nation, with a far smaller population that the Earth Kingdom, brought the latter to her knees. The firebenders were fuelled by rage. Ultimately, Fire Lord Zuko redirected that energy, and used it to both rebuild his own nation's honour and foundations, and to rebuild the other nations physically. But did he start out with that wisdom? With the capacity to look deeper than anger and hatred and to see the pure nature of fire beneath?"

Aiwa glowered at him, but she knew she had lost the argument...for now.

"No."

"And what makes you think you'll be any different? Your predicament is, as I'm sure you might have realised, very similar to Zuko's. You are of the Fire Nation. Need I say more?"

Aiwa sighed and shook her head, trudging onwards. Xue quickly sped up to walk along beside her.

"Of course, it's great you're aware of these issues. But once again, back to the Agni Kai –"

"Why?" Aiwa cut in. She hardly felt the need to continue the conversation.

"Because I want to know," Xue replied calmly, "if you're afraid."

"What? Why would I be afraid?" Aiwa found the question very confusing – there was nothing at stake in this fight. It was hardly a zero-sum contest, as everyone involved would surely benefit in some way.

"I can sense your tension," Xue said with a wry smile. "You are afraid. But you really needn't be. You don't even need the practice –"

"What do you mean, I don't need the practice?" Aiwa challenged. Xue's statement seemed absurd. "I sure do need it! Zhain is above my skill, and stronger than me –"

"Actually, he's not," Xue cut in again. "Having watched both of you firebending recently, I can tell you that your raw power is an advantage you have over him. It's the only one, so I suggest you make good use of it. But – and I suspected you'd fall for the easy meaning in my sentence – that is not what I meant."

Aiwa glowered at him. Was this a test?

"Then what did you mean?"

"That, given the comparative importance of your ability to learn and take in new ideas at this time, you should be focussing on your discussions with me and other such experiences around the Silent Fortress, rather than blasting fire at a friend in a battle which you'll surely lose."

"Zhain's not my friend," Aiwa replied, perhaps a little too harshly, "and what makes you think this fight isn't important to _me_ , even if my odds of winning are practically nil? What I want is –"

"What you want, Aiwa, is the wrong thing. Has it ever occurred to you that it's possible to want the wrong thing?"

" _Your_ version of wrong!" Aiwa spat, now becoming irritated by her teacher's continual interruptions.

"Ah, we're back to this argument." Xue was now smiling broadly. "Again, our values are the same. Think back to our conversation in the old cells of Constellation Facility Three. Do we not ultimately want the same thing?"

"Yes, but –"

"Then are our differences simply not a product of our different sets of knowledge?"

"It can't be that simple –"

"Why not?" Xue cut in, strangely jubilant now. His smile was beginning to perturb Aiwa a little. "The Preservation continues to seek out the best path for mankind, and who are you, an individual with such a limited experience, to say that our way is not best?"

Aiwa frowned, but said nothing more on the topic. Once again, she knew when she was beaten.

"As I was saying," Xue said, chuckling a little, "your upcoming Agni Kai is not important, not compared, for example, to the time we spend here in conversation. Perhaps I'm borrowing a bit too much from Varli, but I strongly recommend you analyse the exchange we just had."

Xue's emphasis was peculiar, and Aiwa spent a moment scanning for falsehoods and discrepancies.

"You told me I didn't need the practice, and that I needn't be afraid. Is that what you're talking about?"

"The solution to the problem of fear is trivial, as you're in no real danger. You never are in the Silent Fortress. But what of the necessity of practice? I'll give you a clue: whoseversion of necessity are we working with?"

"That's not a clue, that's the answer to the riddle! People obviously have different ideas about what 'need' means –"

But Xue shook his head vigorously. "You still don't understand. I'll know when you begin to truly understand Preservation philosophy. There's a clear change in people in that moment. I've seen dozens of times."

Aiwa felt rattled. She had nothing to say, but neither, it seemed, did Xue. They walked together through the still woods, now on the path back to the Sanctuary Gardens.

"I was hoping," Aiwa began again tentatively, before clearing her throat and continuing with greater confidence, "that we could discuss Zaheer, the meditators, and that book." Over the top of Xue's instant objections, she continued, "I'm not saying you have to give me the book or tell me anything about it, and I know you wouldn't anyway. I just really feel the need to have this conversation."

Xue thought for a moment, clearly swayed by Aiwa's pleading.

"Alright then," he spoke slowly, though his frown remained. "Where do we begin?"

"Well, it's like I said to Zaheer: I keep having these...experiences. They began after I read that book back on Tailbone Atoll. And, look, there were a number of other factors at play then, not least of which was the fact that my situation was life-threatening. But I can't help but think – feel – like it's all related. Last night, I was reading more of Iroh's _Tea and History_ , and I found an old note slipped in between the pages. When I read it, I had the strangest experience."

Xue's expression was unfathomable.

"What was it?" he asked.

"The best word I can think of to describe it is 'singularity'. If you understand me, if you've read the book yourself and have an inkling as to what's what, then I think you'll get it."

"Yes, I understand," Xue spoke, contemplative, "and I have a response. If I've understood Zaheer correctly, from what you've said, then he's right to seek the knowledge contained within it. But I'm not so sure that it's best out in the open – I believe my great-grandfather was correct in his analysis, and acted for the best when he hid it away."

All of a sudden, Xue's demeanour shifted and soured, and Aiwa knew he was uncomfortable with this discussion.

"I think this is a good place to finish for today, and besides, that lecture's starting soon. Oh, and Aiwa, ask your friend Pema about _her_ knowledge of Air Nomad philosophy. You might be surprised by her reasoning, and it will give you hints at the knowledge you seek. I can't reveal anything more to you, but she might."

Aiwa gave Xue a critical stare. The casual way with which he referred to his own daughter was another reminder of how cold and calculating the Preservation mind could be. As far as she knew, Pema and her father rarely spoke, and if they did it was only on matters of business. It was a damaged link in a family whose living members spanned five generations: Tenzin, Jinora, Xue, Pema, Sangye...

As they arrived back at the stone sentinels in the garden behind Xue's office, the old airbender strode out in front and turned to face her. Aiwa felt confronted, but only for a moment, for the smile on Xue's lined face was genuine. For one strange moment, she noticed his prosthetic eye. Normally, it blended in perfectly with his eternal scowl. But on a face of pleasure and delight, it stuck out as a harsh reminder of the past.

"Aiwa," he spoke sincerely, "you're going to make a great Avatar."

It was obvious that he wanted to end the conversation on a positive note, but Aiwa couldn't quite meet his smile. She averted her gaze.

"I'm not sure anymore," she said quietly, but Xue placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Why? What's not to be sure about? You have a strong sense of duty, of morality, built upon experiencing and understanding the world in order to help others. You strive always to learn, but keep an open mind. You're always questioning. You distrust authority – yes, on some level, I condone your distrust of us – and yes, I know you really do distrust us still! It's obvious. Your strength grows by the day. A few months ago, you couldn't bend at all. And now? You've bested most of the other students who've been bending since they were little, and your raw power..."

Xue filled his face with artificial fear, but the moment shattered into humour, and he and Aiwa shared a laugh.

"We've done our best with you, just as we do with every member, and every youngster who is privileged to receive the kind of education that we ensure everyone is given. We strive to prepare each and every mind for the world, to give it the tools to observe, analyse, assess, respond, evaluate...and, above all else, appreciate, yet be humble."

Aiwa chuckled a little at Xue's unconscious arrogance.

"You know you mentioned my dubious attitudes towards authority?"

"Aiwa, a little trust is alright. More than anything else, trust in yourself."

By and by, Aiwa took her leave and headed for the indoor Gardens Theatre. The presentation being given there after morning tea was not to be missed.

* * *

"So, ladies and gentlemen, the scientific method! What do we know? What do we know about it...?"

Senior Tsugang's voice fluctuated between mock mystery and a twanging shout, much to the delight of the young audience. Standing in the dark at the very back of the theatre, Aiwa squeezed Pema's arm, and was delighted to feel a reply. The Gardens Theatre was packed with children, mostly members, all with ecstatic smiles plastered across their faces. Up the back were the older students, standing in the shadows but enjoying the Senior's performance nonetheless.

"It really _is_ more of a performance," Aiwa whispered to her friend, as Tsugang took answers from a few children down the front.

"That's exactly why it's so fantastic for the kids," Pema replied. "They can engage with it really well, and even if the deeper meaning of what they're hearing doesn't stick, they're more likely to remember it until they're old enough to understand –"

"Very good!" Tsugang called out to the audience. "A lovely answer, and very well phrased. According to young Jinpa down here, the scientific method is one of the Preservation's best tools for helping people. I like it! In fact, I might just keep that one myself..."

To the laughter of the children, Tsugang made an act out of scurrying to the corner of the stage to flip out a little notepad and scribble in it. The spotlight kept her childishly secretive face highlighted at all times. Her sharp features looked smoother when she was acting.

"I'd forgotten how good she was," San murmured, and Aiwa nodded in agreement.

"So why is it such a good tool? Why is it so good for helping people?" Tsugang continued. "After all, we all know you can use a tool to hurt people, can't you?"

There was a general murmur of assent from the audience.

"If I have a hammer, I can use it to build a house, can't I?"

Again, assent.

"But...couldn't I also hit someone with it?"

The children immediately grew noisy in disagreement. Tsugang smiled.

"I know, I know. I _shouldn't_ hit them, should I? Why? Because it would hurt them! So this tool that I have can do harm, can't it?"

Murmurs of assent.

"Now, we want to make sure we use it for good, to help people, don't we? And the best way to do that is to make sure we help each other."

Shouts of joy erupted from the crowd. In spite of the beautiful message being passed down to the next generation, Aiwa caught herself frowning.

 _"They're so well conditioned..."_

 _"The minds of children are indeed malleable."_

 _"But what if there's a deeper message? Insidious, and ultimately divisive –?"_

 _"What if there were? You have no evidence to suggest this. And even if you did, what then? Remember, Aiwa, they hold the power."_

"So an important part of the scientific method is to help each other," Tsugang continued, "but nicely. Remember that, it's important. And it makes you happy, doesn't it? Doesn't helping people make you happy?"

Again, shouts of joy.

"But that's not all! If two people help each other build a house, then it will get built faster. But what if neither of them knows how to build a house?"

"Learn it!" cried a young voice down the front.

"That's my Sangye!" Pema whispered in delight, but was immediately hushed by both Aiwa and San.

"That's right," Tsugang said, bowing deeply to Sangye's charismatic wisdom and drawing cheers from the crowd. "But some ways to learn are better than others. And, if we've never built a house before, how do we know what a house is like? I'll give you a hint: –" she held up a single finger – "what's a house _for_?"

"Shelter!" cried a few voices in unison, while a lone shout of "Sleeping!" joined in.

"You're all doing very well," Tsugang said kindly, bowing again, "so how do we work out what shelter is, and how to get it?"

For a few seconds, there was silence from the crowd. Then, a little voice piped up with "Look at things."

There was a smattering of laughter from the crowd, but Tsugang talked it down immediately.

"Why are you laughing? Gyatso is right! If we want to know how to build shelter, we need to look around us. Nature creates shelter all the time. If we look at nature, can't we learn how best to build shelter?"

Murmurs of assent.

Someone tapped Aiwa on the shoulder, and she turned to see Xue's face peering at her from the darkness. Zhain was standing a short distance behind him in the shadows, a strange smile on his face. Aiwa gave him a brief glare before turning her attention to the airbender.

"Yeah?"

"Zhain has recommended you have an early lunch so you've some breathing space before the Agni Kai, and I agree. Come – now."

"I'm enjoying this!" Aiwa hissed back, but Xue immediately reached forwards and placed his lone hand upon her shoulder.

"It's a lecture for children," he whispered back, "and besides, you can look it all up later."

"Fine," Aiwa grumbled. Bidding San and Pema farewell, she followed Xue and Zhain out of the theatre. It was the second time in a couple of months that she had been pulled from a fascinating and enjoyable presentation there, and she was not happy about it.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the theatre, walking down the clean, red and white corridors of the Sanctuary Gardens, Aiwa made to speak. Xue, however, beat her to it.

"You've studied the scientific method before. Why do you need a child's presentation as a reminder?" He didn't even turn to look at her as he spoke, walking a few steps ahead, but Zhain glanced over his shoulder, that same, unsettling grin upon his ugly face, his lips curled up. Aiwa ignored him.

"I may or may not have forgotten," she replied, sighing. "It's been a while, and I've had more... _pressing_ matters on my mind." She tried to bore holes in the back Xue's head with her gaze, but he paid her no visual attention.

"Then would you care for a reminder?"

It was Zhain who had spoken, and Aiwa scowled at him.

"Not from _you_ ," she snapped back, but Xue rounded on her.

"Aiwa, where is this venom coming from? Show your firebending master some respect!"

For one short moment, Aiwa was tempted to simply sass the two of them and walk away.

 _"Men. Pfft!"_

 _"They are your masters!"_

 _"Masters, teachers, spirits, it doesn't matter! Respect is earned, and it goes both ways."_

"Fine," Aiwa said curtly to Xue, before turning to Zhain. "Feel free to remind me," she replied, softly, but with subtle contempt. Xue frowned, but turned to keep walking. As Zhain and Aiwa made to follow him, the former dropped back to walk beside the latter. Aiwa gave him what she hoped was a blank stare, uninviting and neutral. However, Zhain now seemed more interested in giving a proper explanation than mocking his student.

As the firebender rattled off what seemed to be a well-rehearsed explanation of the principles that form a good hypothesis, Aiwa sighed inwardly.

 _"Smug git."_

 _"He's earned your respect."_

 _"Has he?"_

 _"He's a great teacher, even if he is arrogant and frustrating to deal with."_

"The point I feel I always need to make, the really crucial one," Zhain was saying, when Aiwa returned to her senses, "is the one about simplicity. Your hypothesis has to be parsimonious. We like to call it the Principle of Lightness. Do you recall?"

"Yes, I do," Aiwa replied. "Do not multiply entities beyond what is strictly necessary to explain the phenomena."

"Textbook. And in common speech?" Zhain asked, smirking. Aiwa glared at him.

"Uh...basically, use observable entities to explain your observations in preference to positing unobservable ones."

"Why?"

"Because...that's what we do! It makes more sense!"

"But why?" Zhain's smug face was in need of a fist, and Aiwa was about to indulge her inner urges. Just then, however, Xue intervened. They had exited the Sanctuary Gardens, and were among the sparse pines that lay between them and the crenellations. The air was icy and humidity was low. The Sun shone brightly down from a cold, cloudless sky.

"We first look to observables to explain the phenomena, because if we assume an unobservable, then the probability of its existence is immeasurable," Xue spoke, turning to look at Aiwa. "Moreover, if you're positing an unobservable to explain the phenomena, then by definition of your position, where did that idea come from?"

Aiwa shook her head. Xue held up a finger, and with all the art of an actor, poked it into his temple.

"Here."

Aiwa laughed.

"You could take over from Tsugang!"

"Funny," said Xue with only a slight grin, as they turned to head down to the Food Halls. "But do you understand?"

"Yes," Aiwa replied tersely, now tiring of the conversation. "If it came from the imagination, why be so arrogant as to assume it exists in reality?"

She turned to give Zhain a pointed stare. He stared right back, haughty.

"It might," Zhain replied, shrugging his shoulders and pursing his lips at her in what felt like mockery of her own behaviour. "There have been cases, in physics for example, where –"

"I don't care for anecdotes," Aiwa cut in, thinking back to a recent angry tirade from Quan abuse of statistics. "Let's focus on lunch and...what comes afterwards."

She was beginning to worry a little. In spite of what Xue had said, she was afraid. Of _course_ she was afraid. How was that within her control? But what worried her more was that Zhain might realise it.

* * *

Two o'clock.

In a way, Zhain had engineered this showdown. The sum total of his behaviour had goaded Aiwa into challenging him, and now the two of them faced off across the grey dirt of the Roughs. A large crowd had gathered to watch the Agni Kai. Aiwa saw Pema in the crowd, and her stomach tensed up. Oh, the humiliation... San was nowhere to be seen, nor was anyone younger than fifteen. Xue was close to the front, staring intensely at Aiwa, his expression neutral yet telling. He wanted her to lose. He wanted to be right.

Aiwa's back was warm in the sunlight, and the air was still. Wind rustled the highest boughs of the nearby trees. Senior Tahu stood solemnly to one side. He was the arbitrator of this dispute.

Of course Zhain had intended this, Aiwa thought viciously. It was a fantastic learning experience for her – Zhain did always seek high achievement from his students – and it gave him the opportunity to show off. The two things he desired most in life in one event...

Aiwa would lose. She knew this, but she could still throw a few punches before falling.

Someone struck a gong...

And neither of them moved.

Silence seemed to wash over the scene like a smothering blanket. Aiwa and Zhain simply stood there, fifty metres apart, facing each other in perfect stance, the Tao of Fire burning within their minds. Aiwa breathed deeply, letting her anger rise. She no longer cared what Xue had said...what she had said. In this, anger could only be her ally.

Someone in the audience coughed. Aiwa's mouth twisted into a slight smile –

And Zhain attacked.

A dozen, rapid fireballs, no more than a second apart, came flying at Aiwa. Distracted, she avoided the fist, smashed the second into cinders, but was knocked backwards by the third. Rather than letting herself be burned, she took the change in momentum and let herself fall backwards. An Agni Kai was won when one opponent had bested and burned the other.

There was a gasp from the crowd as Aiwa fell onto her back. The impact hurt, but it was controlled. The remaining fireballs whizzed harmlessly overhead.

Aiwa rolled over backwards and up to stand. Zhain had spun around and launched a wave of fire at her, but Aiwa was ready for it. She tensed her legs, and sprang right over it, lashing out as she flew through the air. Zhain dissipated her attacks with ease, but now they were on equal footing, and Aiwa held her momentum and advanced.

After a flurry of blows, the two were only metres away from each other, and the pace changed. Zhain threw a physical punch, but Aiwa had been expecting it. She knocked his arm away and hooked her own, but held her energy back. Zhain expended far too much energy in blocking her weak strike, and for a moment, Aiwa had the advantage.

With great might, she jumped, rotating to face her contracted legs towards her opponent, and kicked with both feet. Zhain yelled as he brought up a shield of his own, but their fire was matched. The explosion sent Aiwa flying backwards, but she was already grating her hands along the ground in preparation to spring back onto her feet. So much for her father's old Fire Nation robes...

She executed the move flawlessly, spinning gracefully upwards and landing back on her feet within seconds of the explosion, but Zhain was still too quick. He had already righted himself and moved again. Aiwa only got a glimpse of his onrushing form before instinct kicked in, and she dived to one side. Flames crashed down where she had been, and Aiwa, rising from all fours, turned to see Zhain wheeling round to face her. There was manic glee in his gaze, but also frustration. She was more of a challenge that he'd expected, and now he wanted to end the duel as quickly as possible.

Aiwa could try his patience.

The two let fly like rookie boxers, stepping forwards and striking simultaneously. Within seconds they met in the middle once more, but as Aiwa stepped to one side to avoid a wheel of fire, Zhain's unexpected second strike unbalanced her. Immediately, he knocked her off her feet with the fire of a roundhouse kick, and leapt forward to stand mere metres from her tumbling form. Aiwa looked up to see his fist coming down, coated in flames. She shouted, blasting back at him with all the force she had left in her, but the master's discipline was stronger now.

Aiwa's defence was smashed aside, and a tongue of heat passed over her cheek. The burn seared her skin, and Aiwa cried out with pain.

The gong sounded.

Aiwa relaxed, letting herself just lie on the ground... But a sudden movement above her drew her attention.

Zhain's face was full of fury, his fists burning the very air around them with the fire of his anger. A second later, he lashed out –

But Aiwa's feeble attempt to move aside was not necessary.

A figure in red robes intervened so suddenly that it took Aiwa's breath away. Zhain's fist was smacked aside, and a sharp chop was delivered to his neck. He yelped, squinting with pain, but Tahu was immediately supporting him.

"Do not taint your victory," Aiwa heard the Ancient mutter as she lay on the ground, helpless. "She is not worth the shame."

Through drooping eyes, Aiwa saw the rage fade from Zhain's expression. He relaxed, lowered his tensed fists, turned, and walked away. Tahu simply stood where he had intervened, watching his student's retreating back.

Aiwa let go.

The ground was agonisingly hot, but she could not move. She was barely injured, but the fight had been beyond exhausting –

Suddenly, Aiwa was hoisted to her feet, gently but firmly. She could see Zhain being dusted down by his friends and attended to with adoration. Aiwa, however, was confronted by a stern Tahu.

Old Tahu was now an ancient in both senses. He had wispy grey hair and wobbling jowls, but was a figure to fear nonetheless.

"Aiwa, that was unconscionable," he spoke quietly, motioning for Pema and San to move away. Aiwa's friends and helpers immediately shifted back, leaving their ward to stand on her own two feet, which she managed, albeit with some difficulty.

"Was it?" she asked bitterly, not meeting the Ancient's gaze.

"It was. Anger, rage, and hatred have only the power to destroy. You need to see past them to become a true firebender. As the Avatar, I would expect this from you more than –"

"Take it up with Xue," Aiwa cut in, livid. Just how little communication was there between Seniors? So little that Xue could push her to behave one way, only to have her behaviour chastised by Tahu? "According to him, firebending starts with anger as its source, and moves on later –"

Without another word, Tahu turned away. Aiwa watched him walk towards the crowd, gesture to Xue, and the two of them set off together back towards the Central Compound. Aiwa knew better than to get involved with a potential disagreement between Preservation Seniors. Differences were small, and only very occasionally major. But when they were, it was...dangerous.

"What was that about?" Pema asked, reappearing at Aiwa's side.

"Not too sure," Aiwa lied, as San checked her over. "But so much for my dad's formal clothes..." Aiwa's outer cloak was shredded, and there were burn marks all down her robes.

"Are you kidding me?" San said, grinning a little. "He'll be proud of his little daughter!"

"Yeah right," Aiwa replied gloomily, as they set off towards the Central Compound together. She hadn't seen her parents in a long time now, and had no desire to either.

As Pema and San engaged in vengeful gossip about the victorious firebender in a transparent attempt to cheer their friend up, Aiwa felt herself sinking back into deep thought. Perhaps it was time to go and see her parents again? Family had to be important...

As the months had slipped by, Aiwa had begun to give a little more thought to their argument. She been furious that they'd withheld such a secret from her...and yet it was so inconsequential. Aiwa's little sister had died in the birth of the Great Winter, and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it. But why had her parents kept the truth from her until so recently?

A few nights ago, Aiwa had dreamt of her sister. Somehow, her parents had managed to lose Aiwa's infant sister in the pyroclastic chaos of the dying Fire Nation. Aiwa's nightmare had filled her with terror, with little Anik screaming as the boiling rock had flowed over her...

Aiwa shivered at the memories, but she also remembered Varli's words:  
" _Your dreams, Aiwa, are just dreams. We create meaning where none exists._ "

Aiwa laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all.

* * *

Another excursion was a welcome distraction from the chaos of Aiwa's internal rumblings. A few days after her clash with Zhain, she boarded a cavernous Bison and left the Silent Fortress, flying roughly south. Her partners on this expedition were a cadre of UPF solders, Xue, and Quan. Senior Tsugang had a preference for repeating the constituency of the groups she organised, and among the UPF detachment were Chodak, Om, Taka, Saina, and Yangji. She smiled faintly at the familiar faces around her.

As Aiwa drifted off to sleep, her mind floating with the Bison's humming engines, she thought over the mission details. Their destination was the Old Omashu Oilfields which lay in the western tracts of the Si Wong Desert. The flight would take them past Omashu itself. Oddly enough, the Preservation had yet to scout the ancient city. The reasoning, which Aiwa had listened to with only a sliver of interest, had included statements on the abysmal agricultural value of the arid lands around Omashu and the conclusion that there could be very little of value there.

Further to the south, however, just under the skin of the desert itself, the ground was slick with black gold. And it was this substance, Aiwa had been told, that the Preservation so desired.

It was the solution to the Winter.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Into the Darkness

Chapter 15: Into the Darkness  
256 AG, Late Autumn  
Bison One, Si Wong Skies, Earth Continent

* * *

Aiwa listened to the animated chatting of the UPF personnel, smiling faintly at the peaceful atmosphere. Sunlight filtered through the plexiglass windows in the side of the Bison. Aiwa glanced outside briefly, looking down over kilometres of sparse cloud cover. Far below, the dull grey and orange of the western Si Wong Desert was faintly visible, tinged with the blue of the atmosphere.

Across from Aiwa sat Quan. The physicist was engaged in a hasty yet hushed discussion with Xue, who was frowning and appeared to be trying to take in an enormous amount of information in a very short time. Aiwa, feeling gutsy, decided to butt in.

"I'm surprised you two can hear each other," she spoke loudly, directing her voice at the two men. "It's not exactly quiet in here." Which was true, she thought. Together, the hum of the Bison's engines and the conversations of the UPF, heightened in volume to compensate for the aircraft's ambience, would make a discreet discussion rather difficult.

A few soldiers looked round briefly, before turning back to their conversations. Xue, however, straightened up, still frowning.

"A transparent attempt to enter the conversation? We chose privacy for a reason, Aiwa –"

"What harm can sharing with the Avatar possibly cause? Or with any of us, for that matter? What happened to the good intentions?"

As Quan reached for a drink of water, Xue was momentarily thoughtful.

"Actually, in this instance, you're right. It's probably best that we're open about the details of this mission."

Aiwa was momentarily taken aback but had no time to reflect on Xue's sudden change of mind. The Senior bashed his hand against the wall to grab the attention of the military, and all heads turned his way.

"Alright, I want everyone's attention for a little while. We're only a few hours out, and I know you've all been briefed, but now you're getting a recap, along with a little extra information."

"It's about damn time," murmured Chodak, who was sitting next to Aiwa. Xue didn't hear it, and charged ahead with his address.

"As you all know, we're just the reconnaissance team. We're going to the western oilfields, once the prize possession of Zaofu. Of course, they haven't been tapped for decades now, but the pre-Winter reports from the Metal Clan analyst suggest that the reserves are sizeable. We're hoping, if the conditions are right, to establish a permanent base to the north-west of Zaofu. The residents will need –"

"Residents?" cut in Aiwa, and all heads turned to look at her.

"Were you distracted during the briefing, Avatar?" Xue spoke, pursing his lips just slightly. "We did cover this –"

"Sir?" Chodak cut in, clearly attempting to head off an argument. "I was actually meaning to ask about the specifics of local population myself. It's a detail that wasn't covered during the briefing, and there hasn't exactly been solid intel on survivors after the Zaofu Clash."

Xue frowned at Aiwa briefly, before answering Chodak's question.

"It's small – not more than a few thousand, we think. We've delivered invites to them in the recent past, but it _is_ the remnants of the Metal Clan – they'd sooner die than leave their precious home. That said, they aren't in any danger, nor are they any danger to us. There's a little fertile land to the south of Zaofu, only just enough, and they've imported cold-climate vegetables since the shift. Who knows what they do for bulk protein... But they don't pay any attention to us, and we've no reason to liaise with them."

Aiwa nodded, thinking. That was Bataar's home, and Opal's, and even, though they were of a different generation, San's and Johto's. And now it was reduced to nothing but a shell of its former self, hollow and devoid of almost all life. Aiwa had read about the magnificence of the city in the days before the Diametric War and the Great Winter...

Xue was still talking. "...But Quan thinks it's a good idea if we share the science behind the eventual plan for the oilfields, and I'm inclined to agree. While you've all received little more than a rudimentary science education, the more perspectives that we expose an idea to before putting it into practise, the better."

There was a general murmuring of assent from the soldiers and a few shifted in their seats, their attention directed to Quan. The physicist cleared his throat and began to speak.

* * *

Half an hour later, Aiwa's mind was swimming with alien words and terms like 'greenhouse gas', 'absorption spectrum', and 'exothermic combustion'. Perhaps surprisingly, her attention had begun to waver long before any of the UPF soldiers, who had simply sat there, fixated upon Quan as he gave a detailed account of the physics backing their plan to warm the world.

As Quan finally ended his speech and offered to answer any questions, Aiwa listened with only vague interest as Yangji queried the potential side effects of the plan. Quietly, Aiwa exchanged places with Saina in order to sit next to Xue. The teacher gave her a brief glance, and she a silent nod in reply. She needed to talk to him.

A few minutes later, as Quan moved on to discuss the climate chaos which had erupted along with the volcanoes, Aiwa tapped Xue on the shoulder, and the two moved into a quiet discussion. Only momentarily did Aiwa realise the hypocrisy of the situation. How would she now react if Quan tried to join their conversation?

"We live in such different times now," Aiwa said, both thoughtful and sad. She could feel Xue's gaze upon her.

"We do," he replied, voice neutral. "Just over eighty years ago, my grandfather was training the young Avatar Korra in Republic City, a place of pioneering work in electrical technologies. Seventy years before that, my great-grandfather, Avatar Aang, and his friends were battling the old Fire Nation to end the Hundred Year War. Back then, coal power was still the pinnacle of technology. Now look at us! Our power source runs on the same atomic-scale reactions that power the Sun!"

"That's not exactly what I meant," Aiwa said quietly, turning to look at Xue. The latter's smile faded.

"Then just what did you mean?"

Haltingly, and with her own uncertainties attempting to restrain her, Aiwa explained the disconnect that had begun to invade her life, the thoughts and feelings that the old world hadn't just died – it was another reality entirely, now isolated and inconsequential.

"I can't connect with any of them," Aiwa finished sadly. "My past lives won't communicate with me. I'm just starting to feel so...lost. And what's worse is what those feelings are starting to do to me."

"What do you mean?" Xue said again, still listening without passing judgement.

"I argue with myself – a lot. It feels like the only real way I can voice my concerns – but then it's not even airing my thoughts, is it? Everything's just turning inwards and becoming bitter and cynical...and I don't want that to happen."

Xue leaned back in his seat, thoughtful.

Behind him, a chunk of the Bison's right wing exploded into oblivion.

For a second, time seemed to stand still. Aiwa was jolted in her set, held firm by her belt. The bright light of the explosion had illuminated the Bison's interior, throwing every shadow into stark contrast with the surprised faces of the UPF soldiers.

Then, someone shouted, and everyone sprang into action.

Xue ripped off his safety belt and headed straight for the cockpit, as a red warning light and a harsh alarm kicked in. The Bison was beginning to shake violently. Chodak shouted an order, and every UPF soldier immediately reached above their head for one of the many bags and attached masks for supplying of oxygen that had dropped down. As Aiwa sluggishly copied the behaviour of Saina, who was sitting across from her, she glanced at Quan. The physicist was sitting still in his seat, his face frozen into a look of horror.

Aiwa punched his shoulder.

"I didn't ask for this!" Quan wailed, turning to look at Aiwa, his face drained of all colour. "I'm a scientist! I'm not a communicator, I'm not a fighter, and I wasn't trained for this either!"

"You don't have a choice." Aiwa spoke grimly, trying to stay calm as she yanked down a bag and mask for Quan. "This is part of your job, whether you like it or not!"

"We're under attack!" shouted Xue from the cockpit. "That was a Makila round!"

Still clipped into her own seat, Aiwa observed her pulse continuing to rise. Any second now, they could be hit again...and if the accuracy had improved?

As if reading her mind, Chodak spoke up.

"At this altitude, it's mostly luck – this machine can't do evasive manoeuvres and the next hit could be catastrophic. We need to evacuate, now! Everyone got their oxygen units detached? Good!"

The rear hatch of the Bison began to open. Almost in unison, the UPF soldiers unclipped themselves from their safety belts and rose from their seats, donning helmets and checking critical equipment.

"What's our position?" Chodak shouted to the cockpit, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask. The light above the rear hatch turned green.

"We're still three hundred klicks north of the oil fields. We're closer to Omashu than anywhere else –"

Xue's voice was cut off by a loud bang. Aiwa glanced to her right to see that a large segment of the wing had come loose, and was beginning to rattle. The Bison began to roll to the right...

"Go! Now!" shouted Chodak, giving each of his soldiers a slap on the back as they ran past and out the open hatch. "You too Avatar! I'll take the scientist – you need to go!"

"I haven't gotten a decelerator on yet –"

"Just jump! One of the others will grab you on the way down!"

Aiwa glanced over her shoulder at Xue's silhouette in the cockpit. The co-pilot ducked past his dark form, and Aiwa received a sharp push from Chodak. They were still flying at a much higher altitude than the Ba Sing Se drop. The co-pilot dashed out the rear hatch, already wearing a gravity harness, and vanished into the blue. Without another thought, Aiwa ran at the rear hatch, the Bison now rolling past ten degrees, and leapt.

The freefall was terrifying. The cold air tore at Aiwa's coat, and she struggled to tighten the cords around her waist as she tumbled through the air. Stabilising, she turned in the air to look back up. The dark shape of the Bison was there, growing rapidly smaller and smaller. It was still moving at a high speed, and a thick trail of smoke was streaming from the tattered right wing. There was Chodak, grappling in the air with a terrified Quan. Another body was thrown from the Bison, tiny against the deep blue of the endless sky –

A bright flash ripped through the atmosphere and slammed into the crippled Bison's nose. The fuselage was torn asunder, the left wing spinning off at a jarring angle, and the wreckage began to fall, rolling.

Finally, heat broke through the shielding and into the primary fuel cells, and the Bison's tumbling corpse fireballed. Shards of wreckage littered the sky like dying snowflakes, flashing as they fell –

Suddenly, Aiwa was drenched by a cloud layer. Twisting to look back down, she felt her stomach jump up into her throat as she realised that the arid Omashu southlands were growing rapidly nearer.

From the sky's expanse, a figure grew rapidly nearer. Suddenly, Aiwa was grabbed roughly by Saina, and the two fell side by side. She gave him a quick thumbs-up, before allowing him to drag her around onto his back, preparing for a safe landing. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught one final glimpse of the flaming debris of the Bison. Only three had exited the transport before its destruction, yet four had still been on board when Aiwa jumped. One person had not escaped.

The mountains grew up around her, dark and ominous in the afternoon light. The patches of green ground were soon discernible as naihan grass. The hardy tufts tickled the arid hills and washed against a few lonely copses of trees, still surviving on the wintry landscapes. Directly below, the desert dunes were still and silent. Once upon a time, they had been windswept, but now the planet's atmospheric blanket held too little energy to summon up gusts for the sandy plains –

Saina engaged his decelerator pack, and he and Aiwa rapidly slowed as they neared the ground, before finally touching down with a crunch of gravel. Aiwa fell backwards into the dust, staring around at the desolate landscape. They had landed in a dip between the dunes. Without a moment's pause, Saina was attacking his radio, desperately seeking contact with the others.

But there was one who could not have survived.

Without waiting to consult with Saina, who was clamouring into his earpiece, Aiwa tore off her mask and oxygen unit and clambered to her feet, heading for the top of the nearest rise. Reaching the sandy hilltop, she stared around towards the four corners of the world.

To the east, the horizon morphed into the dusty haze of the Si Wong Desert, an expanse so vast it boggled the mind. To the west, the naihan planes stretched out towards what appeared to be sparsely forested hills, beyond which were the Fong Mountains, renamed in Honour of the foolish Earth Kingdom general from the Hundred Year War. To the south, the dried remnants of the ancient swamp lay just beyond dozens upon dozens of strange structures, which Aiwa quickly realised were towering mining rigs, long abandoned. As she looked to the north, a cold chill swept over her. The mountains around Omashu loomed cold and unforgiving, their peaks glistening with ice in the late light of the day. The city itself was hidden somewhere beyond the visible peaks.

Nearby, dozens of scattered figures were slowly making their way towards a central location. They were presumable gathering on Chodak's position.

Aiwa and Saina quickly regrouped with the other UPF personnel, and finally came to where Chodak was dishing out orders and hammering code into a long-range transmitter attached to Taka's back. They had gathered in a sharp ravine that cut into the edge of the desert, with natural drainage into a dry basin for any sand that blew in from the Si Wong expanses.

As Aiwa grew nearer, she noticed the supine form of Bison One's pilot. Her face was covered in charred blood, and her abdomen was being treated by a UPF waterbender...

Aiwa's heart sank.

Chodak turned away from the transmitter for a moment and raised his visor to give Aiwa a solemn stare. Aiwa sat down where she was, unsure of what to feel, or even how to feel it.

He was gone. Xue was dead.

How was it possible? How could he be… _dead_?

Her relationship with Xue had been unconventional: often strained, barely pleasant, and usually teetering on the edge of amicable, yet mostly respectful. There had still been so much for him to teach her, so much for her to learn...

And now he was dead, burned alive in the fiery wreckage, giving the ultimate service to his organisation. He had given his life for the Preservation.

Aiwa would make damn sure it hadn't been in vain.

The Avatar listened with only vague interest to the information flying around her. Reinforcements were not expected for at least six hours, an extraction was due in double to triple that, and Bison One's pilot had suffered a horrible internal injury which was beyond the skill of the UPF medic to treat. For now, all he could do was try his best to stabilise her condition. They would be spending the night in this ravine, the most defendable position chosen from a set of bad options. The Makila rounds, Chodak mentioned briefly, had come from the hills to the north, towards Omashu.

* * *

" _Here we go again. It's like you haven't learned!_ "

" _Shut up!_ "

" _Why? Why do you do it? Is there a deathwish somewhere deep down that you don't recognise?_ "

" _That's enough!_ "

The first voice subsided, and Aiwa breathed a sigh of relief at the fading cognitive dissonance.

Somehow, Aiwa had managed to walk away without being noticed or ordered back – Chodak was now in command, and would not hesitate to exercise his authority to keep them all safe. Yet no one had thought to keep an eye of the Avatar, given her past behaviour. As evening set in, she wandered across the dusty basin, heading north. A strange sensation was growing in the pit of her stomach. She had lost someone – perhaps not a friend, but a teacher, an important man. A man on whom she had depended, steady and solid, even in his wrath...e _specially_ in his wrath. His very nature, she now realised, had been a driver behind her desires for truth and justice.

The dry evening light began to recede from the wide valley, the shadows of the western hills lengthening out to cover the arid vastness.

Aiwa flinched, her physical form struck by the strange sensation. Directly ahead, still many kilometres away, the distortion was obvious. Chi was twisted and bent with an intensity and a proximity she had not properly sensed since laying eyes on the shattered hull of the Southern Water Nation ship in the dry Daichi Sea. Something was activating. She tensed up, her mind awakening from its dull stupor induced by a loss she could understand but not yet feel.

There was a bright flash, and for a split second, the light was alone on the landscape. Aiwa could feel something coming towards her...and she responded.

Propelling herself forwards into the air on jets of fire, she watched as a streak of white light shot across the desolate landscape and crashed into the sand upon which, mere moments before, she had stood. A smattering of hot ash and dust filled the air behind her, but Aiwa scraped a safe landing upon the sand, the energy of the explosion settling a hundred metres behind her.

She stared impassively towards the hills. They had to be watching her, probably through a targeting scope attached to their Makila cannon emplacement.

"Cowards!" she cried out loud, though she was too far away to be heard.

Aiwa smiled. Then, her grin morphed into a scowl, then a growl, teeth bared, and finally a roar of anger. Her rage at Xue's death was surfacing, and it would help her avenge him. Whoever they were, whatever the reasons for their actions, they would pay.

Her veins pumped with the energy of rage and hatred, and a second later, she launched into the air, and forwards across the darkening land. Held aloft by her Tao of Fire, her flight quickly transformed into series of incredibly long jumps. The ground skimmed by so fast that its features blurred into a mush of hills, grass, rocks, and sand.

Then, she could see it – a small, dark object, planted onto the side of a craggy hill. There were little figures running to and fro like little ants.

A second later, Aiwa crashed down onto the hillside, decelerated to safety by her flames, before leaping up the last ten metres and into the artificial crater. Landing on her knees and fists, she took in her surroundings in an instant, before leaping into action. Once upon a time this energy would have been alien and unwelcome, regardless of its utility. Now, the Avatar embraced the pure anger as her own.

A dark figure rose up and shouted something incomprehensible. A swipe from a fist wrapped in stone struck the metal railing behind where Aiwa's head had been. Quickly making a mental note of the four figures moving up to support attacker, Aiwa delivered a sharp jab to the elbow of the offending arm. As the unknown figure, masked to the nose and wearing familiar leather armour stumbled in their second blow, Aiwa ducked to one side, before dropping them to the ground with a precise strike to the back of the knee and planting a stomp onto their head.

The four other attackers stopped still for a moment, as Aiwa simply glared at them, her boot resting upon the face of her unconscious foe.

"I know you!" a young man shouted, and Aiwa recognised his voice. "You were in Ba Sing Se –"

Aiwa cut him off, lashing out with all the force she could muster. Two of the leathered figures were caught up in the fire and thrown back into the rocks, but the other two avoided the attack and responded with their own. Aiwa stepped lightly through a salvo of sharp rocks, evading each individual stone, before dissipating a retaliatory blast of fire and settling into the familiar pattern of fiery fists.

The earthbender was showered with charred ash and dirt as they attempted to block Aiwa's powerful one-two. The young man who had spoken, the firebender from Ba Sing Se, stepped around and tried to catch Aiwa off guard. The latter, however, was too quick, and redirected the attack into the imposing bulk of the Makila cannon's metal base. As the flames licked around the dark steel, Aiwa moved in close and attacked the earthbender with physical blows. Her first few strikes were clumsily blocked, but a fist eventually smashed into his ribs. As he doubled over, grunting in pain, Aiwa leapt up, simultaneously blocking a risky fireball from the younger man and smashing a solid boot into the earthbenders's jaw. A few seconds later, the young firebender was blasted onto his back, unable to resist Aiwa's powerful fire.

Keeping an eye on the grovelling man, she checked her environment. Above her, the lengthy Makila cannon reached up tens of metres into the air, casting a dark shadow in the stark, coppery sunset. Four out of five rebels were unconscious, knocked cold and senseless. Aside from the cannon itself and a small shelter nearby, just large enough to shelter the five rebels from the elements, there was nothing. Arid, desolate hills stretched out to the south, and craggy mountains loomed to the north.

She tore the mask from the face of her last attacker. Aiwa smiled smugly as her initial guess at recognition was verified: it was the young man whom she had bested in the rainstorms of Ba Sing Se's Lower Ring. He lay on his back, his leather armour steaming a little and his nose leaking blood. All things considered, he was actually kind of cute… But how had he escaped Preservation custody?

"You're the warlord's pet!" she growled, throwing a vindictive kick at the man's ribs. He yelped and rolled away, cringing.

 _"How pathetic!"_

 _"Look at what you just did to them. What makes you think his response is unreasonable?"_

"I'm no one's pet!" the man cried, hauling himself back to lean up against the metal bulk of the cannon's base. A gust of wind whipped up a little dust, and the last rays of the setting Sun vanished behind the hills in the west. "Jin Jie… He's a monster! But I have to serve him."

Aiwa made to speak, but her own thoughts cut her off.

 _"You know, he's just gorgeous!"_

 _"Well you can go and find him later – now is not the time for such fun."_

 _"Isn't it?"_

 _"No! Now find out what he's doing here."_

"You're a long way from anywhere," Aiwa asked casually, raising a fist and pretending to examine a scratch on her knuckles. "And you're committing evil deeds." She dropped all pretence of placidity and knelt down before him, grabbing his collar. "You shot down that jet!"

"I-It was just orders!" the man stuttered, flinching every time Aiwa moved. He was well and truly cowed.

"Orders? From whom?"

"From the general…the general of Omashu!"

Aiwa straightened up, thinking.

 _"So there are survivors there after all. But how?"_

 _"It doesn't matter. Xue's blood is on the hands of this general – now go there and take your revenge!"_

"You're going to go there, aren't you?" the man asked quietly, cutting into Aiwa's internal argument. "Do you want to kill him?"

"Yes."

"But you've never killed anyone before!"

"How can you possibly know that?" Aiwa spat, furious at the man's presumption. "You don't even know who I am!"

"I don't…but I know what it's like to kill someone! It changes you. You can see it in people's eyes. When it comes to the moment, it's more difficult that you think."

"For a normal person, maybe – but I don't have the luxury of letting _your_ morals rule my life. I'm not conditioned like you. I have to see things differently."

"Who are you? I get you've got to be Preservation, but who –"

"I'm the Avatar! And you are?"

"Nobody! I mean…but you're the Avatar?"

"Which way to Omashu?"

"No way! If they find out – if _he_ finds out I've lead you there –"

"Which way to Omashu?" Aiwa repeated, stepping back. She was prepared to use violence to get her answer, regardless of what he had said, but perhaps that wasn't necessary. "What's your name?"

"Genchi," the young man replied, after a staring at Aiwa for a moment with wide eyes. "Genchi of Tagong."

"Alright Genchi, here's the plan: you need to flee. Head south and you'll be spotted and taken by the Preservation. Surrender completely, explain your situation to the leader of the soldiers there, and tell him Aiwa sent you. Oh, and that Jin Jie and this general have to think you're dead."

"Do you think that'll work?"

"What else do you propose? How do you think you'll be treated – you and your family – when the warlord finds out about all this?" Aiwa gestured around the emplacement. "My people will track me this far, at least – they're probably on their way now – and when reinforcements arrive, your warlord is going to lose his precious Makila cannon and five of his men. If you were just wiped out, what will he do to your family? He'd have no reason to threaten them anymore!"

"I…I suppose you're right."

"Then tell me the way to Omashu, and let's be done with it. And by the way, I think you're really cute. I really hope we meet again!"

Aiwa ended with a smile, her hands on her hips. The unexpected move shut down Genchi's last defences. He blinked up at her, smiling faintly, before beginning to ramble once more.

* * *

 _"How did he even get here? I thought he'd been taken prisoner!"_

 _"He must have been released by the Preservation – it's the only explanation."_

 _"He could have escaped."_

 _"Not likely."_

After an hour of scrambling and climbing over rough scree slopes, her fire both lighting the way and propelling her over the deepest ravines and gorges, Aiwa finally hauled herself up to stand atop a rocky outcrop. The sky was dark and the wind was icy, but the sight with which she was presented draw all her attention.

The pyramids of Omashu rose up into the sky, cold and dark. Occasionally, tiny pinpricks of light flickered on the higher spires, appearing for only a few seconds before vanishing once more into black oblivion.

 _"There's no going back now."_

 _"There's always a way back! Besides, you have no idea what you'll find in there."_

As the Aiwa stared down upon the ancient Earth Continent city, a shadow of its former self, she felt her resolve strengthen. Regardless of the unknown, what she sought was surely down there.

Revenge was a dish that _she_ would serve hot.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: The Burning Lotus

Chapter 16: The Burning Lotus  
256 AG, Late Autumn  
Omashu Outskirts, Western Plate, Earth Continent

* * *

Aiwa paused briefly to catch her breath before scrambling up the final metres and hauling herself up to kneel upon the rough stone of Omashu's outer wall. The stars were bright, but the air was like ice. Aiwa breathed deeply, summoning her warmth, before dropping down onto a dark ledge a few metres below. Deftly letting herself down by the stone railings and tiled roofs of empty houses, she finally came to rest in an old courtyard. It was overrun with strangling weeds and strewn with cold sand and discarded garments. The night sky began to cloud over, wisps of grey concealing the stars and the waxing moon. It was almost full tonight.

Aiwa made the decision to hide away in a corner of the ancient courtyard and sleep until morning. Her breath of fire would keep her warm even in sleep, as she had learned during her ordeal at the South Pole. The general who had ordered her master's murder would likely be hiding deep within the sewer system – and in any case, the dark buildings all around had certainly seen no habitation in many years. In the morning, bright and fresh, Aiwa would plunge into the heart of the seemingly dead city. She knew exactly what she sought.

* * *

Aiwa awoke with the sun, her energy restored and her will to search and destroy stronger than ever. Flicking sleep from her eyes, the Avatar rose, blinking in the reflected glare from the orange-brown stone from which the city was built. The tiled roofs were green in the early morning light, and icy puddles were slowly thawing in the streets. Clutter and detritus was everywhere, some of it looking as though it had been recently dumped. Tiptoeing beneath the great delivery rails, awnings, and aqueducts of the once-rich city, Aiwa spotted what she was after: a simple, metal hatch in the pavement.

 _"They must be underground..."_

 _"If they're here at all. The boy could have been lying."_

 _"I doubt it. Besides, some of this garbage hasn't been here long."_

 _"Your faith in the young lad is an appeal to emotion: you find him attractive, and are swayed by this. And discarded belongings mean nothing. Who are you to judge how long they've been sitting out in the cold? The winds could have moved them."_

 _"I might as well look!"_

Grinning at this internal victory, Aiwa grunted as she hauled the metal plate to one side. She was surprised at her own strength: persistence with her routines had brought her a long way, and it could only improve her odds of survival in such a harsh environment.

She stared into the dark manhole for a full minute, running over her decision and the reasoning behind it one last time. From a rational point of view, this was hardly any different to her decisions to seek out the unknown general in the first place, attack the Makila emplacement, and climb with enormous effort over Omashu's outer wall and into the city's interior. It only _felt_ more significant.

 _"I don't care how irrational this is, but if you enter now, there's no going back."_

 _"On this, we agree."_

Finally ready, satisfied that her two selves agreed, she turned around and began to descend. Placing her feet carefully upon the rungs of the tough metal ladder, Aiwa climbed down into the darkness.

* * *

Aiwa crept quietly along the narrow tunnel, a tiny flame in her hand and her back hunched over to save her head from nasty knocks. There was no sense of direction and certainly no signposts, but only one path.

She was beginning to feel something – a familiar sensation, soon identified as strong chi. Although her 'second sight' from the time of the Ba Sing Se trip had not returned, her spiritual connection had never been stronger. The sensations enhanced with each passing minute. The passage began to drop sharply, and as Aiwa made her way down the rough steps, she finally recognised the growing sensation of spiritual energies as the cramped signatures of humans.

Thousands of them.

 _"I can feel them so easily... It's never been like this before."_

 _"You should discover why."_

 _"They could be trapped. The sensation is one of stifled suffering. It isn't unpleasant for_ me _, but..."_

 _"It's unsettling."_

All of a sudden, Aiwa noticed the light – the light that was not hers. Extinguishing her own flame, she was able to move carefully along by the growing light of the cavern beyond. She could hear sounds, dim vibrations at first but growing slowly into discernible noises.

Finally, the ceiling began to rise rapidly and soon Aiwa was walking through a narrow ravine – an underground fissure. She grazed her hand on a slippery rock pulling herself through a particularly tight fit in the passage. Ahead, the rock was clearly shaped by human hands into familiar features, the first of which was a low wall and a...house? The white noise of a city now echoed around the ballooning cavern, and as Aiwa leapt from the stone wall up onto the roof of the house to peer over its crest, she was met with an astonishing sight.

The great cavern seemed to stretch for at least a kilometre in the forward direction. Its ceiling was not more than a hundred metres above, and here and there thick pillars of natural stone remained intact as necessary supports. Hundreds of grey houses lay scattered across the floor of the cavern, illuminated by numerous incandescent lights high above. Jumbled cables hung from the ceiling, a dangerous mess of high amperage. A market hubbub met Aiwa's ears, and she stared glumly at its source: _people_. So many of them, packed into such a small space. Men and women, mothers and fathers, crying children, large families, thin faces, white skin, yellow teeth...

Aiwa recoiled and dropped back out of sight. She was momentarily overwhelmed by the terrible onslaught of reality. How many people were there? Surely many more than she had seen just here alone. But the city was merely _surviving_ , its inhabitants' faces filled with bleak despair, their bodies decaying away...

Who was responsible for this?

* * *

With her cloak covering her face and a little dirt smudged here and there, blending in with her surroundings was not difficult. Extensive eavesdropping revealed that the artificial lights were powered by a geothermal tap and rigged to the day-night cycle. Clean air was circulated by machines through the numerous crevices in the arid lands around Omashu. There were even zones where crops and limited livestock were kept, though food was generally in short supply.

Aiwa couldn't help arguing with herself once more.

 _"They'd be much better off in the Silent Fortress."_

 _"Would they? More people to be indoctrinated by the Preservation, I suppose."_

 _"Don't be so cynical_ _– at least they'd be properly taken care of. This is mere existence. They're barely even living!"_

 _"Aren't you quick to judge? And I suppose you think it'd be appropriate to wipe them all out, ending their suffering here and now?"_

 _"The thought did cross my mind."_

 _"Of course it did."_

Finally, Aiwa's ears picked up a familiar name, one she had almost been expecting.

The Red Lotus.

By and by, she came to realise that the Red Lotus was in charge here: a relic of an organisation obsessed with the pursuit of freedom, left over from the era before Avatar Junto. It seemed paradoxical – how could a philosophy so devoted to an axiom of human flourishing preside over _this_? On some level, Aiwa knew that her knowledge was incomplete. Was now the time to rectify this?

Finally, Aiwa spotted them, and they matched the description perfectly.

Black robes, rimmed with deep crimson, plates of dark, steel armour, knives, and stony faces. A patrolling trio walked by Aiwa's position in an alleyway between two houses. She held her nose at the stench of something rotting off behind her. Gaunt, weary faces glanced without a second thought at Aiwa as they passed by, and she quickly moved to follow once they had moved on. A child smiled meekly at her as he tugged on a string to let fly a spinning toy, only to be sharply reprimanded by his mother.

At last the crowds began to thin, and Aiwa slipped away to sit idly upon a low, stone wall. She watched as the Red Lotus members reached a meeting post. There, they chatted briefly with another trio of dour grunts before wandering off towards a narrow tunnel, not unlike the one through which Aiwa had entered the city. By and by, the new patrol set off past Aiwa, presumably retracing the route of those they had replaced. Once they were out of sight, she hurried off into the narrow tunnel, only dimly lit by the occasional hanging globe. A sign read 'Administerial Chambers'. She was sure to encounter resistance soon enough...

Clearly, the Red Lotus and the civilian population under its thumb were not used to outsiders turning up unannounced.

Aiwa crept down the dim passage, ears pricked for the slightest sound. If someone came towards her, her only choices would be to stand and fight or flee the way she had come. After a few hundred metres, the passage widened into a spherical grotto, not more than five metres in diameter. The floor, aside from a few stepping stones, was alive with moss and some other, stranger plants that Aiwa had never seen before. Running water could be heard, and the ceiling was festooned with clinging vines that were ever so slightly bioluminescent.

Soft padding reached Aiwa's ears, and she moved back to press herself against the wall beside the grotto's exit. Tension mounted within her once more, but Aiwa clenched her teeth and steeled herself. She would take them by surprise, force them down, pump them for information, and then knock them senseless – and then she'd have to hurry. Once they awoke or were found by another passerby, the chase would begin.

Finally, the dull crunch of hard leather opened out into a clap against stone, and Aiwa's would-be victim walked out and across the stepping stones, unaware of their predator's presence. Aiwa stepped silently forward, ready to strike. A single blow to the lower leg would suffice, followed by a jab to the throat, a neck hold, and an empty but convincing threat whispered into their ear. Something, however, put Aiwa off. It was the hair – long, dark, and flowing over the shoulders and down to the chest. Coarse and wavy, and just like Aiwa's.

A strange feeling gripped hold of her, and before Aiwa could stop herself, a word was ejected from her mouth. It fell dully upon the stone of the grotto, echoing slightly, before vanishing away.

"Hey."

Immediately, the unknown woman turned around –

And Aiwa stood face to face with a mirror.

The girl's face was essentially Aiwa's, but thinner and malnourished like the rest, though not to the same harrowed extent. Her dark hair was exactly the same shade as Aiwa's, and it fell freely over her shoulders and down to her elbows. She was dressed in the garb of the Red Lotus, but with dark silver armour down her forearms and covering her thighs. With a face more beautiful and a figure more desirable than Aiwa's, jealousy flitted by, though only momentarily, for Aiwa could see clearly that this girl was unhappy. There was a deep sadness in her eyes.

Aiwa was left speechless, but her other half was equally so. For a few moments, the two women stared at each other, unmoving, eyes running up and down to determine the exact extent of the incredible likeness. Aiwa began to mumble something uncertain, but was cut off.

"Who are you?" the other girl spoke, her voice a little higher, more feminine, and also more uncertain than Aiwa's. The latter, however, was not about divulge her secrets, not even to such an…imitation.

"Who are _you_?" she responded, trying to raise her own voice beyond incredulity but failing dismally.

"Um…I'll ask the questions!" the girl responded, trying to sound tough, but also failing dismally. Aiwa almost laughed.

"Why don't we…both ask the questions?"

She took a step backwards, raising her open palms in the typically peaceful, diplomatic action. It worked, and the girl – for a girl she certainly was, younger than Aiwa by at least a year or two – opened her mouth in surprise.

"Sure."

Aiwa swallowed, before speaking up again.

"I'm Aiwa," she blurted out, seemingly unable to hide this basic fact from her doppelgänger. "I don't know what else to say except…I think I know who you are."

A terrible feeling was welling up from her stomach, surpassing all fondness.

 _Fondness._

"Who I am?" the girl asked blankly, clearly taken aback. "I'm Anik, and I –"

Aiwa had gasped, her eyes filling with tears.

"You are," she whispered, stepping further back and lowering her arms weakly to her sides. "You are," she repeated, just staring.

"We have to be related," Anik said simply. "I didn't think I had…they told me –"

"Told you _what_?" Aiwa hissed, struggling to hold back her grief. "You're my sister!"

"How do you know? We could just be –"

"Damn it Anik, our parents are alive! They named you! They said…" She choked a little, but managed the words at last. "They said you died as a baby!"

These days Aiwa was more or less estranged from her parents. The secret of their second child who had supposedly been lost in the fall of the old Fire Nation had enraged Aiwa beyond belief when she finally found out. She had chastised herself for her anger, knowing that her parents had simply tried to hold back the truth until Aiwa was old enough to hear it. But a small yet powerful part of her mind had kept the significance of the loss alive. And now that significance was reconnecting with reality in a way that no one could have foreseen.

Anik was beginning to breathe heavily, and she raised a shaking glove to her eyes.

"That's what they told you?" she said quietly. "So they must have lied –"

"Clearly!" Aiwa cut in with a vehement hiss, startling Anik.

"But…why?"

"I have every intention of asking them myself," Aiwa replied, regaining control of herself, "just as soon as I get us out of here!"

"What?"

"I came here with very different intentions, but this changes everything! Now, I have to –"

"Have to what? You don't know me. You know nothing about me! Where did you come from? You might be the enemy for all I know!"

The words cut into Aiwa like hot knives, but she held her calm and made her point as concisely as she could.

"How do you know that?" she said quietly. "Do you know me? You don't, but…oh, Anik!"

Aiwa moved forwards, making to grasp her sister and hold her tight, but Anik stepped back. The look on her face was clear. She was confused, and in great pain.

"What do I do?" she said quietly. "I can't…I need to…" She grasped her hair.

Suddenly, Aiwa was aware once more of the greatest challenge, and the most distressing fact that lay before her. Anik was dressed as a member of the Red Lotus, and not just a foot soldier. The armour plates and the insignia upon her right shoulder spoke of her rank, and therefore her past.

"You must have been taken as a baby. Maybe...they lost you in the chaos of the Fire Nation's fall. And the Red Lotus somehow took you."

Anik composed herself, before replying, now showing fascination.

"Yeah, but I thought my parents were from the Northern Water Nation!"

"Mother was," Aiwa said fondly, "but father was from the Fire Nation. Are you a bender?"

Anik smiled and popped open a small pouch at her belt, before drawing water from it with a gently flowing hand. As she held it aloft, Aiwa replied in kind, raising a hand and holding a gentle flame alight in the small passage.

For a few seconds, the sisters simply stared at each other.

"Look at you!" Anik said, breaking the silence with a tinkling laugh. "You're so healthy! Healthy and plump –"

" _Plump_?" Aiwa snorted. "Where I'm from, that's a twisted compliment!"

"But you are! You're beautiful –"

"No, _you_ are! Thin and pretty, I'd just kill for you figure –"

Aiwa caught the sound of rushing air just in time, and whirled. She'd been on edge since she'd first entered Omashu, slightly stressed at the constant danger. For a few seconds, it seemed like her nerves had saved her.

Aiwa stepped to the right, barely avoiding the blast of air, and Anik mirrored her almost perfectly. Aiwa caught a glimpse of two dark figures coming from behind her, one twisting to strike again, the other in traditional earthbending stance, ready to defend –

But the next attack was unexpected, and Aiwa was a fool.

The water whip struck her right in the chest, and Aiwa was thrown metres back into the hard stone. The impact hurt, but not as much as a better strike might have. Anik could have employed the advantage of surprise to summon greater strength. Yet she had held back, even when her hand was forced.

Flat on her stomach, Aiwa saw the earthbender move forwards to attack. She threw herself to one side, conscious of a painful twinge in her ribs. She barely avoided the boulder. As the airbender moved forward in tandem with their partner, leaping over the earthbender's head, Aiwa hauled herself up onto her feet and summoned all her strength. For a moment, she saw Anik's face, full of confusion and pain, but now also twisting into a resolved enmity. Aiwa permitted herself one last glare at her estranged sister, before letting loose.

Flames filled the small tunnel, their rushing heat washing away the airbender's attack. The earthbender's defence held, but Aiwa continued to engulf the passage in fire, all the while walking backwards. Then, she fled.

Down the tunnel she ran, further and further, with neither aim nor direction. Xue's revenge, the general, Jin Jie the hated warlord…all now seemed inconsequential against the vast sea of emotion that had poured into Aiwa's mind, filling a gap she had not known existed.

And yet, Anik was the enemy.

* * *

Tearing down the passage, Aiwa viciously wiped tears from her eyes. Her teeth were clenched with a terrible fright. She had come here for vengeance, but now there was so much more!

Unthinking, Aiwa ran straight out into an open chamber, large and well-lit. Steel girders criss-crossed the walls and the ceiling, and scaffolds covered the length of the wall to her right. Ahead were two, three, four, and more. And they were waiting for her.

A blast of fire was easily dissipated, but the stone that followed it struck Aiwa's elbow as she tried to sidestep the attack. Her arm jarred, and she cried out in pain. But just as she moved to retaliate, a powerful voice yelled out.

"Stop!"

Immediately, the Red Lotus guards before her froze, still holding their aggressive stances but attacking no more. Behind her, Aiwa heard the clattering of rough feet, and she quickly backed away from the tunnel's exit to stand where she could see all of her adversaries at once. Seconds later, she was backed against the wall with at least a dozen armoured men and women wearing grim expressions facing her down. But the standoff was not to last, for through the ring of Lotus petals strode a confident man, he who had called for the cessation of fighting.

Aiwa eyed him up and down. The man's smile was gleeful. While his stance was not hostile, his hands were clasped together to indicate a readiness for action. He was ageing, at least into his fifties, with long grey hair tied primly in a single ponytail and an oddly pale face. Like the others, he wore the garb of the Red Lotus, but his visual status was augmented by the presence of a crimson scarf that hung low across his barrel chest. Most noticeable, and certainly most unsettling, were the wave tattoos down his exposed forearms: he was a waterbender.

He wasted no time in getting down to business.

"Don't try to hide it, I know who you are," he grunted, voice deep and grating. "You look just like your sister. I never expected to have the Avatar at my mercy."

Aiwa held her stance and her silence, ready to lash out if the opportunity presented itself. This Grand Lotus, however, seemed far more interested in talking. His smile remained unchanged.

"Though Anik's my student, I never told her about her family. Perhaps I should have. I certainly never thought I'd get to meet you. I ought to be dead by now."

"Why?" Aiwa blurted out, her curiosity getting the better of her.

The man gave a dull grunt of a laugh, his smile fading a little.

"Cancer. We don't have the capability or the equipment to operate, though I'm sure your Preservation allies do. In fact, that's the reason you're alive now."

"So you have spies?" Aiwa asked uncertainly, still holding her stance. "And why did you call the Preservation my 'allies'? I'm one of them!"

"Ah, but the reports indicate that you're hardly the conforming type. The fiery but rash Avatar Aiwa! We know _all_ about you."

"Do you just?" Aiwa spat sardonically.

The Grand Lotus raised his hands, and stepped forward. Immediately, Aiwa tensed up, and the encircling guards followed suit, but their leader was clearly of a different mind. With a wave of the hand, they all stepped back, lowering their stances but still on edge.

"Look, Avatar, we're both reasonable people, I know that much. I want to make the most of this fortuitous meeting. Can't we have a neutral conversation and avoid this mindless violence? I'm curious as to why you came here at all – there must have been a trigger – but there are even more important matters for us to discuss. What reason do you even have to fear us?"

Aiwa tilted her head to one side. Suddenly, she noticed that Anik had entered the chamber, and was standing off to one side. Her expression was unfathomable.

"I want you to do something, Aiwa," the man continued. "I want you to trust me, to believe that what I'm about to say is true. Look at this situation. You're outmatched, and if you fight, you'll go down. Perhaps none of us alone could beat you. By all accounts, you are a powerful Avatar, even if you're still only a firebender. But all together, we stand an overwhelming chance of bringing you down. If you don't recognise this, then more fool you. But I don't want to fight you. I want to talk to you – alone. I want you to meditate with me into the Spirit World."

Aiwa took a few moments to take in what he had said, and to her dismay, found it all to be good and true. However, one uncertainty remained that she wanted resolved.

"What's your name?" she asked, relaxing ever so slightly.

The Grand Lotus' smile waxed once more, as though he knew exactly why Aiwa was asking.

"Nurok."

"And are you a general under Jin Jie?"

"The warlord? In a sense, yes. But we're less subservient to him than he is to us. Now, what's your answer?"

Aiwa sighed. She had nothing to lose. Behind the encircling guards, Anik nodded ever so slightly. This tiny action, as meaningless as it might have otherwise been, was tremendously reassuring.

"I'll do it."

"Very good," Nurok grunted, immediately sitting down where he was, "I'll lead. I want to take you somewhere. If your knowledge of history is good, I think you'll find it appropriate."

Still cautious, Aiwa walked forward until she was only a few metres from Nurok's seated form, and placed herself in front of him.

"All leave," Nurok commanded. His eyes were now closed, but his smile remained. "We are quite safe. You too, Anik. You've tasks to see to." The man was so sure of himself. Aiwa suddenly wondered if he had something to hide from the Red Lotus itself.

Before Aiwa closed her eyes, she permitted herself one last fleeting glance at Anik. They locked eyes for a moment, and Aiwa could see the uncertainty, the doubt, and the fear that plagued her sister.

"Breathe and focus..."

* * *

When Aiwa opened her eyes, having fallen through the gap that divided the multiverse and landed safely upon the other side, she was met by a perception of orange.

"Where are we?"

Nurok was there, standing in front of her. In this light, his face had more colour. His smile had swelled once more to become wholesome and happy, and his hands were clasped together before him like those of a scholar or sage.

"Aiwa, thank you for not struggling. It's important that we learn when to reasonably trust one-another. But as to where we are, where do you think?" Just like his physical stance, Nurok's voice and demeanour had changed, becoming less interrogative. Here in the Spirit World, in the absence of his fellow Red Lotus members, he was almost _cordial_.

Aiwa stared around. The sky glowed orange, the light flooding their surroundings. They were standing in a grassy canyon, littered with stones and tall trees. A dried-up riverbed wound its way lazily by, and all was quiet. She didn't know where they were. Nurok quickly realised this, and supplied the name.

"It's Xai Bau's Grove."

"Should that mean something to me?" Aiwa asked, frowning. She recognised the name, but couldn't quite place it in significant history.

For a moment, Nurok seemed puzzled. Then he spoke "Perhaps not," though it make Aiwa wonder. What was the significance of this place?

She chose the flattest stone she could see and seated herself upon it. She was taking Nurok as seriously as he seemed to take himself, if serious was the right word for it. What else could she do?

"So, you want to talk? Let's talk." Aiwa was suddenly interested in Nurok, but felt that her curiosity was best satisfied by letting him ask the questions and gauging his responses to her answers. She could always lie. "It's a shame we don't have any tea."

"Old Iroh used to come by here," Nurok spoke, as he seated himself beneath the shade of a wiry tree. "We'd have tea if he was still around."

"He's not?"

"We all pass on eventually, Aiwa, and his departure was his own choice. Many don't have that freedom."

Already, there was a key word: 'freedom'. Aiwa's interest was growing at a frightening pace.

"I'm glad we didn't have to resort to more violence," Nurok continued, his expression glad. "We could have forced you into the Spirit World if need be, but you –"

"How?"

"We have a serum. It's metallic, similar in form to something else you may be aware of, except it has minimal lasting effects. Ours was designed to help the subject, not to maim them."

Nurok continued refer to knowledge that Aiwa did not posses. She skipped to her own question.

"You have such a serum but you can't operate on a tumour?"

"Relics, Aiwa. Leftovers from the old world. Our supply is limited, but you would be a worthy candidate."

"I'm flattered. So do you have questions?"

Nurok seemed taken aback.

"Do _I_ have questions? What is this hostility, Aiwa? We barely know each other!"

The frequency with which he used her name was unnerving.

"I know what you are: you're Red Lotus!"

Nurok's smile dissipated a little, and he looked almost disappointed.

"So we are. But what is the Red Lotus? Clearly you have some understanding of the matter – and I'd like to know who you've talking to – but your knowledge is accurate. I know the Preservation wouldn't reveal our existence or nature. That much is certain."

Aiwa hesitated before providing her source.

"Zaheer."

Immediately and almost comically, Nurok's jaw dropped. After a few seconds he recomposed himself, but he was visibly rattled. He averted his gaze and appeared to be muttering to himself, eyes wide. His smile had altogether vanished and Aiwa was deeply unsettled. She let him think for a little while, and after a minute the man returned to the present.

"Well," Nurok's spoke slowly, smiling broadly once more, "that does explain a lot. Do you mean to say that Zaheer is alive?"

Something had changed. Nurok's grin was different now. Unsettling.

"Perhaps," Aiwa replied cautiously. "I'm actually not sure."

Nurok snorted.

"How could you not be sure?"

"Because I haven't met him in the physical world, only through dreams, meditation, and direct contact in the Spirit World. I haven't been able to verify anything he's told me about himself. For all I know, he could have passed on, or he might be trapped in limbo somehow." She thought of Zaheer's claim to have been sedated and his subsequent undesired vanishing from that plane of existence. "Then again, maybe he is alive somewhere. I can't know –"

"But I do," Nurok cut in, his smile growing broader still but now taking on an opnely vicious tinge. Aiwa didn't like it. "Zaheer is dead – at least, his physical form is."

Aiwa's gaze narrowed. Above them, the orange light reddened a little as thick clouds heaved themselves across the Spirit World's sky, sagging low.

"How do you know?" Her tone was intentionally challenging, but Nurok was unfazed.

"Because I can tell you how he died."

Aiwa listened intently as Nurok recounted standing upon the largest of the Knotted Isles, along with Tenzin, his family, and many of Avatar Korra's old friends. One year after the end of the Diametric War, this unhappy alliance had come to the Chameleon's Bay to watch the faint flashes of light in the distance, almost on the horizon: Junto's last battle, and his coup de grâce. Zaheer had taken most of the remaining Red Lotus soldiers to the Knotted Toe, the smallest island, and lured the Avatar there by pretending to threaten civilisation with the Bright Lance. The cataclysmic explosion they observed had birthed the Eastern Spirit Portal and marked the death of the epoch's most evil Avatar. Even as the dust was still settling, Nurok had taken a search party to see if Zaheer or anyone else, those brave men and women who had sacrificed themselves, had somehow survived.

"We found nothing and no one," Nurok finished impassively, his expression entirely neutral. Throughout the course of his story, his smile had slowly been fading, until by the end it had vanished altogether.

"So he died?" Aiwa asked quietly. Nurok gave her a plainly condescending look.

"Indeed! But the power released in that dimensional rupture which tore open a new spirit portal was so great that, somehow, something was preserved. An imprint, an echo, a shadow…" Nurok took a deep breath before continuing. "Zaheer is not a departed spirit – only the Avatar and those upon the cusp of attaining enlightenment can ever reach that state. No, he is something else now, and I believe I have figured out exactly what!"

He finished with a cry of excitement, the realisation striking him in that very moment, and Aiwa's heart leapt. She wanted to know, to understand the strange man who had haunted her dreams and fed her the smallest morsels of information while withholding the banquet of truth from her. Who was Zaheer? _What_ was Zaheer?

"I believe Zaheer is a simulation."

"What?"

"You heard me. He exists as a simulation. I know this technology existed by the end of the war, I am sure there was nothing left alive after the blast that ended Avatar Junto, and I know enough about spiritual matters to know that such a violent event can have bizarre yet predictable consequences. And this is one of those consequences."

Aiwa's mind was blank. One question emerged from the stillness.

"But _who_ …?"

"Exactly!" Nurok cut in, his excitement unabated. "Someone must be running the simulation. Someone –" he raised a hand and pointed a bony finger at Aiwa "– is in charge. And only one organisation remains with the means to do this: the Preservation."

Aiwa closed her eyes and sighed. The manipulation, the shaded truths, the concealed lies… How much deeper could the mystery get?

Nurok was still rambling, now more to himself than to Aiwa.

"Of course, his cell is not one of steel bars but of silicon chips. Somehow, they captured his imprint after the blast and sealed it into the circuits of Jishu technology. We saw them raiding the warehouses after the war. " Then, he raised his head and smile at Aiwa. "And Zaheer didn't tell you? My, he has become enigmatic."

A memory emerged from the wilderness of Aiwa's chaotic mind that suddenly made so much more sense. Jiki, the robot she had met in Ba Sing Se, had shown a strong aversion to Zaheer. She opened her mouth, a strange thought occurring to her.

"What if he doesn't know he's in a simulation?"

Nurok's eyes widened further.

"He may not! Feed a simulation the right data and it would have no way of knowing either way. And if his domain is limited to the Spirit World, well, he'd just assume he was dead."

"He said he'd been sedated," Aiwa added, thinking at the same pace. "So what are they doing to him?"

"Why are they running a simulation of him at all?" Nurok responded, shaking his head. He leaned back against the tree, folding his arms, finally silent.

Aiwa's world had, once again, received a violent tug, shaking the contents of her mind. All this time she had assumed that Zaheer was a Red Lotus prisoner, his philosophy and allegiances having drifted far enough for him to become their enemy. But a simulation? It was almost too much.

Then the angry truth of the matter crashed into mind. The Preservation was simulating an old enemy of the Avatar and allowing him to interact with her? _Why_?

Aiwa was beginning to sink into thought, but Nurok suddenly surfaced with a question for her.

"Tell me, how is Zaheer? What does he know?" Nurok's tone was one of curiosity, and Aiwa felt that by answering them and clarifying her own knowledge, she could learn more for herself. Haltingly, and with great care to avoid details that could expose her assumed weaknesses, Aiwa summarised what she could remember of the riddling airbender to Nurok. When she was finished, Nurok simply chuckled, an odd sound for such a deep voice.

"So your continual rebellion against the Preservation is not without reason. What twisted truths they've been feeding you! In any case, it explains why you're less hostile to me than I expected."

Aiwa was silent. Nurok started at her.

"Honestly, I thought you'd stand and fight, or at least try to trick me once we were in the Spirit World, but you've exceeded expectations, Aiwa. Now, I'd like to return to my original question: why are you here? You can't have known about Anik, so what brought you to Omashu?"

Aiwa thought for a moment.

"Revenge."

Nurok drew a deep breath.

"…How _thrilling_. Is it my blood you seek?"

"I think so," Aiwa replied quietly. The man appeared unfazed, his smile growing wide once more. Given his terminal illness, Aiwa wondered about the origins of his charismatic joviality.

"And why is that? Is it the aircraft? I'll tell you now, Aiwa, I was uncertain about ordering it shot down –"

"You killed someone I care about."

To admit it felt like tearing open a peculiar wound, but to bandage it now would only leave it to fester and worsen. Nurok's smile faded a little and his face took on a sad tinge.

"Who?"

"Senior Xue, a member of the Preservation and my –"

"– Mentor," Nurok cut in, finishing her sentence, his smile completely gone. "Aiwa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this. Would you believe that Xue and I were once friends?"

"Right now," Aiwa spoke, her voice quivering a little with a bizarre cocktail of anger and grief, "I'm unwilling to believe in my own two feet! I can't get a single straight answer from the universe, and when I'm finally starting to make progress, the one person who promises to reveal his secrets to me is killed – by you!"

Nurok bowed his head. For a few moments, Aiwa was silent, and the Grand Lotus hid his face. When he raised it into the light again, Aiwa was a little chilled to see that his expression was neutral once more.

"Xue believed that your becoming the Avatar was a gradual process," Nurok spoke, and Aiwa's mind performed a backflip to understand what he meant. How far reaching were the Red Lotus spies? "You were to be indulged in these conversations from time to time. There are layers of truth to work through. Well, why not indulge in another?"

Aiwa immediately reconnected with the end of her last conversation with Zaheer, and grasped the first question that came her way.

"What did you do to Junto?"

Nurok sighed, his sadness twisting into something new. Regret? The story which Zaheer had begun, Nurok would now complete.

"Avatar Junto was too strong. We couldn't beat him in battle, and it cost us greatly every time we tried. We needed to find his weakness – any weakness. Now, I understand you already know all this, but back then Zaheer was still aiding us. He'd figured out that, while Junto was physically impervious, he was psychologically weak."

"He was a psychopath, I know."

"Zaheer thought so, but I'm not so sure if it was exactly psychopathy. Regardless, he was, for want of a better term, mentally defective on some level, and we used this to our advantage. We attacked him by striking at the woman he loved, making her suffer, and killing her right in front of him. It cost us greatly, but from that moment on Junto was…" Nurok paused, seeking the right word. He found it. " _Damaged_. Zaheer understood it all far better than me."

Nurok shifted uncomfortably before continuing.

"What we had to do took a toll on me. I'm not a cruel person, Aiwa – I just want what's best for the world. But the depths to which I sank to get at him scarred me. I can still remember her face right before we took her life."

"No one escapes their conditioning," intoned Aiwa, and she met Nurok's gaze. For a few seconds, the two seemed to share an understanding, similar to her connection to Zaheer by the end –

– And then the moment passed.

"So here we are," Nurok said nonchalantly, "two would-be enemies, set upon a collision course by our conditioning, constrained by the universe to meet. But to what end?"

"You tell me," Aiwa replied calmly. "I was going to ask about Omashu: why are you doing this? Why maintain such conditions of squalor for all these poor people? But there are far more important questions which –"

"No," Nurok spoke with a frown, wagging a finger reproachfully. "Why indeed are we doing this?" He gave Aiwa a look that was almost indignant, shaking his head. "Why save the lives of so many thousands of people, keeping them safe and warm down here?"

Aiwa already had a response to this.

"They'd be better off if you surrendered them to the Preservation, who can actually take care of them. I've seen your people, and they're suffering badly!"

"It occurs to me, Aiwa, that you know nothing about the Red Lotus."

Aiwa crossed her arms. Nurok was not beginning to show aggression, and she didn't like it.

"Enlighten me."

"First, tell me what you know of us."

Aiwa thought through the precious little she had to work with.

"Your axiom is freedom," she offered. "Order is a great evil."

Nurok snorted again.

"It's a start. Perhaps what you're saying was once true of us. But Red Lotus philosophy is no longer young. As the world has evolved, so have we. I doubt even Zaheer would understand our true purpose these days. Believe it or not, I also want what is best for the world. You might be mistaken in thinking that because the Red Lotus tried to kill the Avatar in the past, we all still want to. Can you tell me, beyond some naive conception that the Red Lotus is at odds with you and your philosophy, why we would want to kill you?"

"The Avatar must impose their will on others," Aiwa replied, "and this is order. By restraining the harmful actions of a few, the Avatar can maximise the freedom of many."

"But by not interfering at all, the freedom of everyone is optimised."

"What does that mean?" Aiwa challenged. Nurok's smile had turned cruel now, and he rested his hands upon the stone by his hips, giving Aiwa a pitying look.

"The Red Lotus doesn't seek maximum freedom, but rather optimal freedom. And our concept of 'optimal' means that everyone has equal share in this freedom. Even the worst men and women that a society produces must be given their share. This is only fair."

Aiwa was appalled, but Nurok was not finished.

"But some within the Red Lotus now see another goal. In fact, you've become familiar with it, whether you like it or not. That goal is enlightenment."

"That word again! I don't understand –"

"Enlightenment is not understood!" Nurok cut in with a sharp cry. "It is neither the possession of the intellectual nor his plaything. It is the property of each free man and woman. It is to be _lived_ , because enlightenment is true freedom. You cannot truly understand freedom, Aiwa. Not freedom as I now see it."

Finally, it clicked, and Aiwa took a deep breath.

"You learned alongside Zaheer's followers," she spoke slowly, watching his face. She was beginning to suspect that Nurok was something of a rogue element within the Red Lotus.

Nurok closed his eyes, smiling ever so slightly.

"It's a philosophy I never thought I'd find myself examining. Zaheer was always such a troublemaker, and those little rascals that worshipped him, the ones who cut him loose, they seemed so idealistic. But truth be told, I'm seeing more sense in the world now than I could have ever imagined, and it's all because of the ideas implanted in my head by that old book of theirs. The Red Lotus has changed, Aiwa, and I believe it's for the better. But the process is slow – evolutionary, rather than revolutionary – and it must be so. We don't have the luxury of upending civilisation and transplanting it into some constricting Habitation Zone for mere survival and reconditioning. Our present philosophy wouldn't permit it. No, we're playing the long game, and it remains to be seen whether the Red Lotus or the Preservation will triumph…or even if we should be enemies."

Aiwa felt herself physically relax. Nurok's words seemed to soothe her nerves, allowing her to unwind a little of the tough existential knot that had balled up in the pit of her stomach over the last few months. A strange feeling of hope stole over her.

It was, however, quickly eclipsed for the desire for more information.

"We could be allies," Aiwa responded at last, "or at least not fight each other."

Nurok nodded. "It's possible. The Preservation grows its own crop of people to produce a harvest according to its designs, and so do we."

Aiwa continued.

"I need to know more. What else can you tell me? I have to learn, to understand. Xue is gone, and I don't think the Preservation will reveal further secrets without him. Zaheer won't be coming back –"

"What makes you think that?" Nurok cut in, his expression souring.

"He faded away during our last meeting, and not of his own free will."

A strange smile briefly caressed the man's features, before he replied.

"Oh, you might be surprised. In any case, I hope he regains his freedom. I'd like to meet him myself. I'd like much more than that."

The venom in Nurok's voice was growing at an alarming pace. Aiwa challenged him.

"What do you mean? What do you want with Zaheer?"

"What I am owed!" Nurok's smile had vanished, and he was now full of malice. "The man is a traitor, and while he helped us defeat Avatar Junto, he undermined our work to grow in power late in the war. It's his fault that we do not now rival the Preservation in strength and must hide away until the time is right –"

"You want to make him suffer?" Aiwa cut in, taken aback by this explosion of anger.

Nurok eyed her cautiously before answering.

"In spite of my newfound agreement with his philosophical leaning, the man is still a dangerous traitor, even if he's just a spiritual imprint controlled by a computer. He knows too much. And during the Diametric War he worked against Red Lotus authority on numerous occasions, all the while professing to help us! No, not even death will stop Zaheer from being ours."

The fury with which Nurok finished his diatribe was repulsive, but Aiwa did her best to ignore it, focussing on the last important question.

"There's one other thing," Aiwa cut in forcefully, "that I have to know. How did you get access to the Bright Lance? I thought it was a Jishu weapon. You needed a credible threat to draw Junto to the Knotted Toe, but how did you –?"

"It was not the Bright Lance that created the Eastern Spirit Portal, Aiwa. We lied. It was that simple, but Junto believed it. We never controlled the weapon."

Aiwa's jaw dropped open momentarily, but she quickly kept up her line of attack.

"Then what destroyed Junto?"

"Why don't you ask Zaheer? He only ever let slip the vaguest hints about the core of our plan – _his_ plan. We trusted him, and he didn't let us down…for once. A traitor he may be, but he destroyed an Avatar."

Sidestepping the conflicted tone in Nurok's voice, Aiwa kept going.

"Let me get this straight: the Bright Lance was notfired at the Knotted toe?"

"Never. Now... All this talk of the good old days has jogged my memory. It's just occurred to me that I ought to follow in the footsteps of an equally loathsome but dangerous member of our order, a man whose life was cut short far too soon. I'll draw from Unalaq."

As Aiwa struggled to place the name in history, Nurok's smile faded away to be replaced by his original neutrality. All of a sudden she was confronted once again by the Nurok who had first approached her in the physical realm, pale and filled with evil designs.

"I'm sorry, Aiwa. All this talk of alliegance and peace has been for nought, for I realise I must do this. At the very least, I have to try. I know we've spoken of peace, but a part of me still believes in the old ways. Call me selfish, but I'm still going to try!"

And without another word, he vanished from the Spirit World.

Panicking, Aiwa closed her eyes and breathed deeply…

* * *

As consciousness crossed the multiverse to return to its physical origins, Aiwa realised she was under attack. Not physically, but spiritually. The chi within and around her body was pulsing with an alien touch, and as she opened her eyes, Aiwa found herself looking straight into Nurok's determined face.

She had been forced to kneel upon the hard stone, her head thrown back, and the Grand Lotus' hands were upon her. His left hand held her in place. His fingers were pressed against a pressure point, paralysing her through a powerful chi block. Aiwa felt great anger at the physical violation of its placement upon her breasts, but the real danger came from his other hand. His fingers gripped her scalp forcefully, but his chi extending through her body began to cause her neurones to flare. Aiwa tried to struggle, but her control over her own body had been severed. Forced to watch Nurok's twitching grimace, Aiwa shuddered as her body revolted against the onslaught.

Suddenly, Nurok drew back, almost flung away by some hidden force. Aiwa collapsed forwards, unable even to raise her arms to protect herself. She smashed her nose upon the bedrock, and the knock shuddered through her skull and neck. This pain, however, was nothing compared with the shivering nausea that was overcoming her whole form. Nurok steadied himself, clutching his head with both hands, fingers pressed to his temples.

"I can't…" he panted, utterly exhausted, "I can't find him!"

"Who…?" Aiwa managed to grunt, bringing her shaking hands up beside her head and forcing herself off the ground. "Who...what?"

"Vaatu! He should be there…"

Aiwa began to retch, but her stomach had been empty for many hours and nothing emerged.

"It isn't Harmonic Convergence!" she gasped, still convulsing, but Nurok had already reached another conclusion.

"It has to be Junto!" he hissed, realisation mingling with the venom in his voice. "I think…Junto's done something. Raava is damaged, or she's blocked out somehow!"

"Or it's just not Harmonic Convergence, fool!" Aiwa spat, almost laughing. Finally forcing herself up onto her knees, she took deep gulps of air. "You're an awful, awful man Nurok! Even with all your wisdom, you'd still bring back Vaatu, and that's not freedom – that's chaos! So much for your enlightened philosophy!"

"I'm done with you!" Nurok snarled, enraged by her words. He popped open a pouch at his waste, drawing forth water and condensing it rapidly into shards of razor sharp ice. "If you can't give me Vaatu, then you're no use to me!"

As the icicles flashed, speeding towards Aiwa's face, she breathed. The energy flowed deep, before being forced back out into the chamber as heat and flame. The blast of fire from Aiwa's mouth caught the icicles up and tore them down to their molecular constituents in the torrent of energy. Nurok turned his back, shielding his exposed skin from the flames, but that was all the opportunity a re-energised Aiwa needed.

Knees shaking with the effort, she launched herself forwards, stepping once, twice, before bringing an elbow round to strike Nurok's surprised face as he re-emerged from his defence. As the man collapsed onto the ground, Aiwa turned and fled, her direction chosen at random. Her head was splitting open with familiar, renewed pain, and her muscles spasmed periodically as her own chi reasserted itself.

Curling up in a tight alcove between storage boxes stashed high up in the rafters of a deserted cavern, Aiwa brought her attention into her body, willing it to be calm. The pain had subsided, but she continued to flinch uncontrollably, and her firebending was incredibly weak. What had Nurok done to her?

Well, he _was_ a waterbender. Obviously, he had been trained to manipulate the spiritual energies of living beings, just as Noatak – Amon – had. But Nurok's specific skills had a different goal behind them: the recovery and release of Vaatu, the spirit of darkness and chaos.

Only it hadn't worked. Somehow, Vaatu had been beyond his reach. There was no way of telling exactly why. Clearly, he had been certain that the limited spiritual resonance outside of Harmonic Convergence should not pose a problem, though he could have been wrong. But perhaps he was right? Perhaps Junto had somehow corrupted the Avatar Spirit, his actions continuing to form a formidable block to the Avatar, even after his death? Then again, Junto himself had been unable to access the Avatar State organically…

It was all a mess.

Her eyes clamped fiercely shut, Aiwa remained present with her body as the remnants of Nurok's assault slowly faded away. Careful not to make a sound, Aiwa tested her fire again and again, and was pleased to find it growing slowly stronger. Occasionally, the sounds of marching soldiers echoed through the cavern, as patrols passed by, a hundred metres below. Aiwa wondered vaguely why Nurok had not ordered a search for her – or perhaps her hiding place was simply too good.

By and by, Aiwa's mind flitted to their conversation in the Spirit World. Her thoughts performed acrobatics trying to determine the cause of the Eastern Spirit Portal, but eventually she gave up. The Preservation had to know, and Aiwa would force the knowledge from them! Why the deception? Why the _lies_?

Then, there was Nurok's knowledge of Zaheer, and the revelation that Zaheer himself was imprisoned by the Preservation as a digital imprint…

 _"Does Zaheer himself know?"_

 _"He never said so. He said he'd been sedated once…"_

 _"Perhaps that's what it feels like for a simulation when it's shut down."_

Aiwa's mind was a mess. She curled up with her hands over her knees and rested, slowly bringing her mind to ease, before slipping unconsciously into a doze.

* * *

Hours later she was clambering through tunnels barely wide enough to fit her form. Aiwa's mind turned to Xue. Her old mentor, needlessly dead, killed by a man who professed to have once been his friend.

 _"Two months, I promise. In two months, we'll have a discussion about the contents of that book."_

They had never had that discussion, and now, they never would.

 _"And there's good reason for this delay. You read that book, Aiwa. On some level, it will have changed you. I want to see how those changes manifest themselves in your behaviour and your abilities, both physical and mental. And you've got other things to concern yourself with, now that you can bend."_

 _"So true",_ Aiwa reflected. Whatever the effects, Aiwa had grown strong, strong enough to defend herself – and strong enough to avenge Xue. Gritting her teeth, she found herself grinning manically as she climbed ever onwards through the dim passage.

The Red Lotus would _burn_.

* * *

The rumbles through the dense rock could mean only one thing, and Aiwa's suspicions were confirmed as the light began to grow stronger. Shouting echoed down the slowly widening tunnel, and Aiwa grinned in satisfaction as occasional words describing a sudden assault on Omashu reached her ears. Even with its lies, the Preservation's hunt for her, its drive to keep the Avatar safe, was laudable. Now, their search had led them to the underground city, and hopefully their distraction would allow Aiwa to slip in for the kill.

The _kill._

Aiwa had never killed before, but with this man there was no doubt she could do it.

Or was there?

As the tunnel began to drop sharply, Aiwa propped herself up between the walls and moved cautiously downwards. The light from below was bright, and when Aiwa was finally supported only by her own arms and legs over the abyss, could she see into the cavern below. Her shoes were worn, her hands scratched and sore, her outer robes torn and tattered, her muscles aching, and her head throbbing constantly in the background. Yet, strangely, Aiwa was not unhappy. Suffering was no stranger to her, and its presence empowered her, driving her onwards in pursuit of the single goal that now dominated her mind. She could only hope that the exhaustion would hold back for just a little longer. Many hours had passed by, and the day must surely be coming to an end by now.

The chamber below her was awash with grimy civilians, hollering and hooting, slowly being shunted along by Red Lotus guards out of sight. Once they had been moved, presumably into a safer cavern, the guards quickly headed off in the opposite direction. Once they too were out of sight, Aiwa gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and released herself from the vertical tunnel. The fall was at least fifty metres, but Aiwa's fire held her aloft, slowing her descent enough for the landing to be painless.

She came up immediately in a defensive stance, staring around, but the chamber was empty. She immediately set off in pursuit of the Red Lotus, running into a winding passage which turned into uneven stairs that went up and up and up…

Finally, Aiwa came to an opening, and looked out into a bright cavern. Huge lights hung from the low ceiling, and fully half of the far wall was glass panels reinforced with steel girders, which appeared to be holding back a tide of sand. A small gap between the sand and the top of the window let in pale shafts of natural light. Evening was closing in. Here and there, creeping trees wound their way up ancient stalagmites –

Aiwa stepped forwards, spinning under an incoming water whip. As the Red Lotus member drew back to strike again, calling out for help, Aiwa returned fire. The masked guard tried to dive out of the way, but was caught up in the rolling wave of fire, and flung away. Three more grunts moved in to take their place, but Aiwa had no time for them. To her right were more guards, heading away from her, and a painfully familiar head of hair.

"Anik!"

Within ten seconds, Aiwa had smashed aside all three attackers, but as she wheeled around to face her next challenger, she was angered to see her sister advancing towards her. Anik's face was tightened into a deep frown, but uncertainty lingered.

"Your people are attacking us!" she said, gesturing angrily. "They're bombarding the upper levels to get in. They have no idea of the damage they could cause!"

"They don't care," Aiwa replied, holding her guard. "In their eyes, civilian casualties are acceptable."

"And you're fine with that?" Anik snarled, her eyes brimming with tears. "We take care of these people! We've kept them safe, safe from the cruel world, and safe from your cruel methods of mind control!"

"That's Nurok speaking," Aiwa replied sternly. "There's no way my sister believes that. And for the record, I don't condone the Preservations actions, but neither do I rail against them. I recognise that they are the best insurance anyone has against anything reality can throw at us – all of us. _We're_ the bulwark against extinction, not you! My superiors might lie again and again and again, but a part of me knows that it's with only the best intentions, even if I hate it! Anik, we're all fallible, and we can want the wrong things –"

Shaking her head, Anik turned and ran.

"No! Wait!"

Aiwa tore after her sister but stumbled as the bedrock shook once more. A voice blared over loudspeakers, warning that intruders had broken into the upper levels. The lights flickered. Cracks appeared in the glass panels…

As Aiwa gained on her sister, the two of them running across a platform high above a dark drop into nothingness, Anik turned on her.

"Don't!" Aiwa cried, holding out a pleading hand, but Anik drew water from her pouch, whirling around to face her sister.

"Leave!" she screamed, almost manic with confusion and sadness.

"Come with me!" Aiwa called back, pleading.

"I'm not leaving Nurok!"

"And I'm not letting him _live_!"

Anik bit her lip, and for a moment, the sisters shared a painful bond. The desire for kin was strong, and it drew them together with tremendous force…but their differences were too great. Fire versus water, antithetical philosophies, and invariably different experiences along the path of life meant that they could not meet in the middle as complementary, balanced forces. Not yet.

A huge crack shot through the glass wall, splitting off into smaller fractures. Then, it shattered. Like a glittering wave of death, the thick window collapsed inwards, sharp fragments of glass riding a cascade of sand that crashed into the chamber and began rapidly to fill it. High above on the rusted balcony, Aiwa and her doppelgänger froze to watch, the sand and the dust swirl in the evening light from outside. But the distraction was only momentary.

Now angered by her twisted sister's resistance to diplomacy Aiwa stepped forward and lashed out without her fire, surprising Anik with bodily strikes. The waterbender snarled. For a few seconds the pair traded deft blows, stepping and ducking around one another. A whirlwind of sand rose up from below, filling the air around them with a dusty haze, but the combatants fought on.

Successfully landing a stunning right hook, Aiwa gained the advantage. She threw a light kick, stable on only her left foot, before immediately shifting onto her right and swinging again. Anik stumbled backwards, bent over from the blow to her thigh, and tried to bring up her water that had spilled onto the balcony all around them, but Aiwa was too quick. Leaping off both feet, she delivered a driving blow with both feet into her sister's raised arms. Both combatants fell to the floor, but Aiwa landed with her muscles tensed and ready, and instantly sprang back onto her feet, while Anik was sent tumbling backwards uncontrollably.

The grinding of immense force against the steel bridge from below shook the balcony, and a moment later, the lights went out. Aiwa immediately lit a fire in one hand, the dim light of evening insufficient for her to see properly in the sandstorm. She coughed a little in the swirling dust, but the sounds of desperate scrambling across metal told her that Anik was on the move.

"Wait!" Aiwa cried once more, afraid that she would lose her sister. Her desire to know the young woman was great. She blasted fire out around her in a futile attempt to clear away the dust. Ahead, the balcony lead to a tunnel that appeared to climb steeply upwards, and Aiwa immediately set off in pursuit of her sister.

Tearing up the narrow staircase, Aiwa noticed a sharp drop in temperature. As she finally reached the top, the cold wind and starlight told her that the chase had taken her all the way to the surface.

Sure enough, a few moments later, Aiwa leapt up the last few steps and out into the open. Quickly looking around, she realised that the climb had lasted longer than she thought, for she now stood atop Omashu's tallest spire. She was standing on a wide, circular platform, above which was nothing but sky. The dark of the night shadowed the rocky mountains all around, but a waxing moon shone brightly down upon the pinnacle. It was almost full. The winds were incredibly cold, but not particularly fierce.

Spotting her sister, Aiwa moved to pursue, but stopped short of striking. Anik had stopped, and was standing back behind Nurok. Although wearing a heavy cloak against the cold, his forearms were still exposed. A few wisps of greying hair hung around his face. His hands were held up in front of him, and Aiwa saw the expression on Anik's face. It was one of confusion and deep fear, but also sorrow.

"Master, get her!"

Nurok smiled, clenched his hands into clawed fists, and all of sudden, Aiwa was living her nightmare.

Her muscles screamed in agony as they were wrenched from her control. Aiwa fought against the alien invasion of her chi, her eyes swimming with tears, but she was forced to kneel, and then down onto her hands and knees. She felt the grit of the cold stone pressing against her fingers, and summoned her energy into her fire, bringing a fist around with terrific effort.

The fire that peeled into reality, barrelling towards Nurok, was powerful, and Aiwa cried out at the effort involved. However, Anik placed herself between her sister and her master, raising what water she had left into a shield. She was flung backwards, sliding to a halt at her master's feet, writhing to snuff out her flaming cloak. The grip on Aiwa's body did not falter.

"What spirit!" cried the bloodbender, jubilant once more. "I just don't know what to do about you." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Master, just let her go. She can leave –"

"Leave?" Nurok laughed. "No. I'm still not sure about this Avatar, but I can't pass up the opportunity. Kill her!"

Aiwa's eyes flitted to lock with her sister's.

"I can't do it," Anik said, pleading at her master's side. "She's my family! You never told me they were alive…"

"I have to destroy the Avatar! You _will_ help me do it!"

Nurok's eyes were bulging, and for a moment, Aiwa was reminded of Xue…

Nurok's designs upon the Avatar were now almost the polar opposite of those he had professed in Xai Bau's Grove.

"I won't do it!" Anik hissed, stepping back, her eyes filling with tears. "Master, please, we're not sure if it's the right thing to do. What if we need her –?"

"Do as I say!"

Nurok turned to look at his pupil, but Aiwa seized the chance, the grip over her body weakening. She did not move, but rather breathed, summoning as much energy into her body as she could muster, while master and student argued ferociously.

"I'll do it myself," Nurok said, and suddenly, he was metres away from Aiwa his eyes narrow and his hands clawed in the cold air, holding Aiwa steady. "Aiwa, I'm sorry for this, I really am, but I'm not killing you – I'm preventing _the Avatar_ from interfering! _You're_ just collateral –"

Aiwa closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. The bloodbender sensed her surge in chi, and immediately tried to increase his hold over her, but he was too late.

Aiwa felt no remorse as she breathed fire into the face her foe. The stream of flames blackened and dried his skin and burnt his hair away. Screaming in agony, Nurok collapsed backwards, smoking and writhing in pain.

"Master!"

The cry pushed Aiwa to move again. Although the bloodbender's control over her had vanished, Aiwa's body was wracked with nausea and painful shudders. Through her tears, she saw Anik drawing up her water once more and sending it towards Aiwa. Desperate and terrified, Aiwa summoned her chi like never before, holding nothing back.

A great, cyclonic firestorm whipped up, roaring around Aiwa in a wide arc. Shaking with the strain, she began to intensify the flames, as her attacker's water was totally consumed by the heat. The spire tip was bathed in bright, golden-red light, and Aiwa saw her doppelgänger backing away in fear.

As the pain subsided and her strength returned, the Avatar willed the flames away. Darkness washed back over the stone top, the cold of night returning. Aiwa held up her hands defensively.

"Stop, just stop! Please!" she called out to her sister. "I don't want to fight you anymore!"

"They told me my parents gave me up at birth," Anik replied, her voice wavering, "because they could only keep one child, but that you all died in the Fire Nation anyway!"

"Then they lied to you, too." Aiwa looked down at the writhing figure of Nurok, moaning and weeping. "People do that like they just can't help themselves."

"I never knew I had a sister," Anik repeated sadly, "and I never thought I was being lied to."

Both women were staring at Nurok's charred form, and Aiwa suddenly realised that Anik must have little or no bond to her master, else she would be tending to him right now.

"What now?" Aiwa asked quietly, after a moment's silence.

"I have to go," Anik said with a laudable attempt at stoicism, and she turned to leave

"Anik, help me!" Nurok rasped, his voice diminished to a shadow its former force. Aiwa watched her sister walk away, finally understanding. In spite of her love for her newfound sister, Anik was still a member of the Order of the Red Lotus, having been trained that way since birth.

No one escapes their conditioning.

Then, Anik was gone, vanished over the side of Omashu's peak and into the darkness.

In spite of her conscious understanding of the state of reality, Aiwa's heart sank. But her grief was immediately eclipsed by an overwhelming desire. All of this had happened because she had come to Omashu with one desire, and one desire only. And now the man whom she desired – whose death she desired – lay in front of her, injured, helpless, and in pain.

 _"End his suffering."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because an eye for an eye need not be immoral. Xue's death was quick. If you need to take Nurok's life to be satisfied, do it now. He need not suffer."_

 _"He may still be of some use!"_

 _"Do you want revenge or not? Don't try to justify his pain – end it now!"_

"I can see you're torn," Nurok rasped, finally managing to roll onto her back, and Aiwa saw the true damage her fire had caused. She recoiled a little in horror, but then something changed inside her. Something hardened, forming a block which would support her in whatever she did.

"I'm not torn," Aiwa hissed, raising her fists. Nurok hauled himself backwards to lie against a low stone pillar. "I'm letting you suffer!"

"You're not sure it's right, though," Nurok chuckled, coughing. "You're uncertain of yourself, of your ability to push yourself! But let me tell you this, Aiwa, my last bit of wisdom: I'm finished, regardless of whether or not it's here and now. I won't live, but then again, who does?" he cackled.

 _"He's right – you have to end it now!"_

 _"I want him to feel it first!"_

 _"Do it! Finish him!"_

Almost unwilled, a flame burst forth from Aiwa's palm. It was a mere spark, tiny and flickering, but ready to grow. And Aiwa let it.

There was surprise in the charred man's face for only a moment, illuminated by the growing heat before him. Then, Aiwa stepped forwards, and with conscious effort, directed her fire to consume.

The torrent of heat grew through the colours, turning first blue and then white. Aiwa held the heat back from herself – it could never harm her. Nurok's body, laying back against the stone pillar, was pressed against the hard surface as it blackened around him, his clothes melting into his skin as his body withered in the furnace. There was no scream, only an open jaw, hanging loosely as flesh vanished and bone charred and cracked.

Then, it was done, and as quickly the fires had grown, they vanished into the darkness. Aiwa was alone once more, standing atop Omashu's cold spire. From an infinity away, the stars blinked down upon her, cold and uncaring, silent witnesses to everything she'd done.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Out of the Past, P1

Chapter 17: Out of the Past, Part 1: Old Friend  
256 AG, Late Autumn  
Sanctuary Gardens, Silent Fortress, Old Shewen Land, Earth Continent

* * *

"Out. now."

Aiwa glared at the Preservation soldier. Not even an order to chaperone the Avatar could sway a UPF guard's loyalty.

Aiwa was not physically restrained, but her mind was shackled. She was exhausted, tired beyond imagination. Her gaze swept over the dense forests leading up towards the Roughs and the Central Compound beyond, but her mind grasped none of it. The air was cold – incredibly cold, and bracing. It woke her up a little, enough to detect the fading light of early evening covering Old Shewen Land. The sky was cloudless with a coppery tinge, and the orange light from the setting Sun picked out the details of the twin peaks vividly. Below the highest peaks, there was no snow, only ice.

 _"What profound experiences you've had!"_

 _"Profound? I still need to understand them!"_

 _"I think you're missing the point."_

 _"And I think you need to shut up."_

Aiwa rubbed her eyes, angry with herself. Her mind was a mess: she was unable to fish out even the smallest profundity from the tossing seas of mental chaos, littered with the debris of experiences and memories old and new.

Finally, a little token surfaced, a reminder of her sanity. She scrutinised it viciously, before admitting with sadness that it was almost all she had left now.

 _"To think I used to treat honesty as a life necessity. No more!"_

* * *

"You need to stay in your room, Aiwa." The voice of Senior Tsugang floated through Aiwa's awareness "Are you hearing me? There will be guards outside the door. If you need anything, call out to them."

"Alright."

"You're not in trouble – not this time. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly."

"We're having a meeting. All the Seniors are meeting to discuss the latest...events. There have been developments, besides everything that was revealed at Omashu."

"Fine."

Tsugang's sharp face was near Aiwa's. A pair of beady eyes assessed the latter's response. As the sun's last light disappeared, Aiwa plodded into her room and sat down on the end of her bed. The door snapped shut behind her. Something was not quite right.

 _Tea and History_ was sitting on her pillow. She hadn't put it there. She didn't feel like reading right now. What she really wanted was to talk to someone – anyone – who would make sense of the world for her. Xue was dead, Zaheer was locked away, Pema and San were too stupid and conditioned to help her, and she hadn't the slightest hope of finding her sister.

But then Aiwa smiled. She had a sister – a sister who was alive! Aiwa had family beyond just her parents. She wasn't sure how she ought to feel about this. Even though Anik was a Red Lotus member, even if she was conditioned in the enemy's ways and deep in their council, she was alive. And this, of all the whacky and wonderful things which she could take refuge in to cheer herself up, was what gave her hope.

Now struggling to keep her eyes open, Aiwa climbed into bed, flicked off her lamp, and fell asleep very quickly.

* * *

When she awoke, Aiwa was no longer in her bedroom. The air around her was warm, as was the hard surface beneath her. It wasn't earth, but some strange substance, tough yet yielding enough to sleep comfortably upon. The light was of early morning. There were trees – and birds! Aiwa listened to their tunes for a little while, still lying on her back. She had not heard birdsong in a long time...

Then it hit her. Going to sleep in the Silent Fortress, in her room, and waking upon an alien surface in the middle of a forest with an enduring ecosystem...that contained birds? She lit a fire in her hand to confirm that she hadn't slipped unconsciously into the spirit world. Now her knowledge of history served her well once more. This was surely Aang's past – his experience. This had to be a lion turtle.

Aiwa sat up and took a deep breath, filling herself with energy. The sky above was growing lighter. She could not have slept more than ten hours, yet she felt fully refreshed. But then, what wonders could the environment on the back of a lion turtle provide?

As Aiwa made her way downhill she noticed her mind returning to a more familiar state. The first noticeable emotion to return was, unsurprisingly, anger. After Chodak and the others had found her, meditating in the cold atop Omashu's highest peak, she had confronted the newly-arrived Bataar with pure reason and the full force of the facts – everything she had learned. And what had she received? A stern reprimanding and more of the same, unsatisfying rhetoric which she had been fed for the past six months. This had completely knocked the wind out of her, and Aiwa had submitted silently to Bataar's demand that she come home once more.

Next was a familiar yearning – a thirst for the truth.

 _"No! For the facts! Truth is so relative – how do you still not understand this?"_

 _"'Facts', 'truths', they're all just words whose meaning is malleable. It must be this that the Preservation uses to deny their lies."_

 _"What lies?"_

 _"Untruths! Concealed facts are tantamount to the same."_

Finally, Aiwa's mind settled on a desire for the future. She wanted this ordeal to pass. She wanted the doubts and anxieties plaguing her as the young Avatar to wither away with the passage of time. She wanted to serve the world and all its inhabitants, performing the greatest good she could according to reality.

 _"Which reality?"_

 _"The reality encompassing the suffering and wellbeing and all living things. What else? "_

 _"Words – these are all just words."_

 _"I know, but it doesn't make them meaningless, nor does it change the action and experience that will flow as a consequence of Understanding them. What does it mean to do good?"_

 _"What does it mean to ask that question at all?"_

 _"Ah, now you're getting it!"_

Jubilant at this inner victory, Aiwa let out a terrific whoop, before remembering that she had no idea where the lion turtle was. Most likely, it had been out in the mists of the Serpent's Sea, but it could be anywhere by now, for Aiwa might have slept for twelve hours, or thirty-six, or even longer. Who knew? And how had she swum out to the great beast's island? How had she even escaped the –

"They didn't even lock the door," Aiwa spoke out loud, realisation smacking her in the face like a wet fish. In her mellow state she had hardly noticed a thing. So was this a test? Why not lock the door? Or had they simply forgotten? "So many questions!"

Finally, Aiwa could see the sea. As she came out of the woody thickets and into the open, she found herself staring out towards a blue horizon. To her left, a headland was drawing ever so slowly nearer, and to her right a wake was visible behind the moving island – proof that she must indeed have swum in a dreamlike state out to this ancient behemoth.

"The head must be round here!"

Picking her way along the rushing shoreline – a strange sight indeed – Aiwa made her way beneath the boughs, around to where the water appeared to be streaming towards her and out to either side. The lion turtle continued on, their head under the water, unperturbed by Aiwa's presence. She perched herself upon the bough of the leading tree and relaxed as best she could against the bark.

Directly ahead, the sun was rising. Sharp, stony peaks jutted out to the north and south but a lone passage of open water lay directly ahead. The light was intense and Aiwa closed her eyes against its glare. She had no clue where the lion turtle was going, or what she should do. Of course, the most reasonable course of action seemed to be to wait. Following from Aang's account, the lion turtle had taken him to Wulong Forest, where he had battled and defeated Phoenix King Ozai. This had to be the same lion turtle – the last of its species. It had to be connected, just as it had been all those years ago, to the flow and ebb of universal chi. It knew more than any mere human could. So where was it taking _her_?

* * *

Many days passed, and Aiwa lost track of time. They were travelling south-east down Full Moon River. On most mornings, Aiwa was treated to a glorious sunrise. There was no sign of Preservation pursuit or observation, but Aiwa refused to think too much into it. There was a little food and water in the forest – catchments of water and berry bushes that she recognised. Even so, hunger set in soon enough, and she began to contemplate taking shore leave to find food. In all this time, the lion turtle did not surface, and Aiwa was not about to risk swimming down to the head, given her inadequate abilities both in and with water.

At last, they exited the narrow ravine that was the mouth of Full Moon River, and Aiwa could see the spire of the Eastern Spirit Portal. Its green and gold was resplendent even in the bright blue of the midday sky, and Aiwa began to wonder again where they were going. They passed by the islands around the portal and continued on towards the peninsula beyond.

One day later, there was land directly ahead, and the lion turtle was making no effort to divert their course. This was their destination, then: the Chameleon's Tail, or Anziong Peninsula. At the very edge of the eastern Earth Continent, this region had been the Jishu homeland. Why would the lion turtle bring her here? What was there of interest here?

Approaching a small island at the tip of the peninsula, Aiwa walked to stand above the behemoth's head. Foamy-capped waves crashed against jutting reefs, sending salty spray high into the air, and suddenly she noticed that the lion turtle had ground to a halt.

Hopping carefully down to the water's edge, Aiwa leapt onto a slippery rock that stood just above the high tides and turned to look back respectfully at her chariot and guide. But even as she watched, the lion turtle began to turn, swimming away...and diving underwater. Aiwa watched with sadness as the forest upon its shell vanished beneath the waves, perhaps for the first time in centuries.

Where to now? It was clear that the lion turtle had intended for her to go to the peninsula, but what was special about the Chameleon's Tail?

The facility, of course. The one that Jiki had mentioned, however briefly. The one where Junto had trained robots. The one where he had undergone surgery to unlock the Avatar State. What secrets were buried in its underground laboratories? For buried it was, built into the bedrock of the peninsula. And Aiwa could easily find it, for its purpose had been housing and development of Jishu chi-technologies – mostly intended for the war effort. She could _feel_ its presence.

* * *

It took Aiwa less than a day to find the entrance to the old facility, signposted as a dangerous quarry but exuding a powerful spiritual signature. The terrain on the peninsula was nothing but dead swamps, sparse copses of rotting trees, and rocky hills dotted with broken, lonely townships. Aiwa did spot a large palace on the cliffs by the western coast. It was a relic of the riches once showered by the Shilun Alliance over the old Earth Continent Intergovernmental Congress. Aiwa grinned savagely at the ultimate futility of all the diplomatic bickering that had once echoed through its halls. So inconsequential.

Down into the darkness Aiwa went, passing numerous warning signs spelling probable death by tunnel collapse. Her light, however, showed sturdy supports all the way. Even so, the cavern had been shaken, presumably by the earthquakes that had accompanied the great eruptions of two decades ago. Large chunks of stone had fallen from the ceiling here and there. Aiwa noticed that, as she made her way further in down an increasing incline, the floor was beginning to tilt, with fractures and fissures showing in numerous places. Her stomach tightened and bit at her nerves, complaining with hunger, but it would have to wait.

Finally, just beyond the ruins of a military checkpoint, there was an elevator shaft. It was small but heavily reinforced. Peering through the broken doorway, Aiwa enhanced her flame and peered down into the receding darkness. A ladder ran down one side of the shaft, but it was broken in places. Still, it was not a difficult descent, and after ten minutes, Aiwa dropped from the last rung to balance on a scree slope that had slid into the base of the elevator shaft from one wall. The pressures on the metal structure here had caused sufficient buckling for the earthquake to break in. She wondered vaguely where the elevator itself had gone – was it in the rubble beneath her? But Aiwa thought no more of the earthquake, for beyond the shafts closed doors, the chi was incredibly powerful.

The doors were heavy, but Aiwa was strong, and she managed to prise them open, albeit with significant effort. Beyond, the darkness fled away into halls of shining steel. Orderly rows of workbenches cast deep shadows and broken glass glinted in the light of Aiwa's fire. Walking cautiously forward, she remained alert for any movement. This place made her anxious. The darkness and the unknown it represented, along with the increasing pressure of intense chi fields, filled her with fear.

Aiwa picked a clipboard up off the ground, rifling briefly through the pages that remained on it. Nothing but technobabble and scheduling hours. There was a signature at the bottom that was strangely familiar – _Mr. Wong_. Where had she heard that name before?

Moving on, Aiwa kept her ears pricked and her light strong, but nothing stirred. Beyond the room of desks, she pushed open a creaky door, shivering at the echoes it released into the blackness, and cocked her head to one side. This room, which a hanging sign told her was a decontamination chamber, was twisted and buckled. The floor slanted down to one side, where debris was piled up along the base of the lower wall. It suddenly struck Aiwa how very warm and dry these chambers were – a far cry from the weather at the surface.

Forcing her way noisily into the next room, Aiwa found herself looking down through shattered glass into an operating theatre – and immediately recoiled in shock, for the chi emanating from the table in the centre of the room was almost unbearable. Exiting, she closed the door behind her and burnt a cross into the metal, telling herself not to go back there.

 _"It's like the old stories of radioactive zones. Lake Laogai..."_

 _"At least it doesn't do any permanent damage. It's just twisted energies, and they'll right themselves, in time."_

 _Let's hope so._

Aiwa chose an alternate route out of the decontamination chamber and found herself walking through another room filled with desks. The floor here was also slanted, and she had to be careful not to slip. The ceiling was higher here, and Aiwa looked up to see staircases and offices built into nooks and alcoves. This place would once have been beautiful, built to optimise efficient use of space without becoming claustrophobic. Now it was wrecked, with buckled walls, shattered glass lacing most surfaces, and loose papers lying around. Aiwa picked several up at random, but was disappointed to see nothing but more times and technical details.

She came to a bulkhead, large and imposing. There were at least a dozen warning labels, but nothing more specific than demands for the proper authorisation. Built into the bulkhead was a small door, almost too small for a regular six foot man. Aiwa could smell...life? No mould, but something else. It was a healthy scent, and reminded her strongly of the trees around the Habitation Zone.

Hesitating, she gripped the handle of the door, and pulled. It swung silently open and a beautiful, golden-green glow burst forth. Inside, the floors and walls were covered with patches of bioluminescent moss, identical to what she had seen in the Masami Caverns on her trip with Jinora. She entered, smiling around at the beauty of nature, found even here.

Then, Aiwa shuddered with fright. The hallway, although wide, had an incredibly high ceiling and gave the impression of being tightly squeezed. The walls were lined with mechanical sliding ladders and robotic retrieval arms, and built into the steel itself were thousands upon thousands of hatches. The shadows of open doors and twisted metal limbs loomed down at her, but Aiwa's light had reached out ahead to illuminate a figure.

Standing there was a humanoid. It stared at her, and Aiwa stared back, mouth hanging open and heart racing with fear. The metal of the robot's skin glinted in the combined light of Aiwa's fire and the natural bioluminescence. Only one eye was functioning, and it glowed an emerald green, staring unblinkingly at the intruder. The robot's head was slightly tilted to one side and its jaw was hanging loose. Its left arm was in tatters, with severed cables trailing out of an elbow stump. It looked like an earlier model than Jiki, with clunky limbs and larger mobile panels over the joints.

It didn't move.

Aiwa slowly shifted back into a combat stance, her heart pounding in her chest. She let her fire die, for the bioluminescence was more than strong enough to make out the robot. However, it looked even scarier in the green glow, smooth head glinting, form unmoving, emerald eye fixed upon her –

Aiwa screamed as something grabbed her from behind. Cold steel gripped her under the arms and wrenched her backwards, through the low door, and into the darkness of the cluttered desks.

Finally grasping her senses, Aiwa brought her knees up to her chest and kicked out. The fire propelled her sharply backwards, until with a sickening crunch she and her assailant collided with something solid. Pulling her momentum up into a roll, Aiwa launched free of the cold grasp and flipped through the air, before crashing down awkwardly upon a bench. It broke beneath her, but Aiwa quickly scrambled to her feet, blasting fire out into the darkness.

A few metres away, the glinting form of a robot was leaning back against a desk, its head hanging limp. One green eye glinted at her from its twisted skull – but suddenly, Aiwa was under attack again. From the ceiling dropped another robot, lightning blue paint flashing in the light of Aiwa's fire. This one was intact, with narrow, slanted eyes, talon fingers, and a sleek body clearly constructed for agility in combat.

And it attacked immediately.

Aiwa stepped backwards and then sidewards, dodging shards of steel torn from the walls with metalbending and flung at her like shurikens. The robot kept a low profile, moving deftly between the desks yet showing at moments an inhuman lethargy. Seeing her chance, Aiwa struck back. Her fireballs crashed through desks and seared the floor. One made contact with the robot, but it shrugged off the glancing blow and continued to fling shards at Aiwa. One grazed her shoulder, and she gritted her teeth against the pain.

Blasting out a flamethrower through the room in front of her, she dashed to one side and came up from a different angle. The robot, oddly, was facing away from her, and Aiwa struck the centre of its back with as much heat as she could summon. It tumbled away, but was up and swinging again immediately. Whole desks and metal railings were now becoming projectiles, and Aiwa found herself pushed to her limits to evade all of the attacks.

Then, a fantastic thought occurred to her – now would be a very good time.

Staying fast and low, Aiwa dodged between desks, as the room around her seemed to go into a frenzy. Everywhere, metal objects were being torn apart. Some were propelled at her but most simply fell to the floor, where they continued to twist and contort. This robot was malfunctioning, its control over the chi faltering.

As she began to trace specific energies within the chi fields, Aiwa was bowled over by a desk. Although it only pushed her backwards, Aiwa's grip on the chi failed, and it exploded in her face. There was no smoke, only fire and light, but Aiwa slid backwards along the slanted floor, her hands failing to grab onto anything. Immediately, the robot was leaping through the air towards her, narrow emerald eyes gleaming. Aiwa tensed up and sprang back onto her feet, just in time to avoid a powerful stomp where her head had been.

Ducking one punch, Aiwa knocked aside a second, wincing at the collision pain in her forearm, before planting a firm boot into the side of the robot's knee. As it dropped towards the ground, moving for another strike in defence, Aiwa switched feet, maintaining her balance, and kicked its neck. There was a sharp crunch of bending metal, and the robot staggered away, before falling over onto its back. It suddenly struck Aiwa how perfectly this one moved when not faltering – its motion was just like a human's.

Wasting no time, Aiwa gripped the chi once more, feeling its yin and yang, the complementary forces within all of nature. As the robot rose to its feet, stumbling a little and grabbing at a nearby desk, Aiwa separated the energies. It was easy, and with incredible efficiency, she brought them back together, providing only the path.

Blue-white streaks strobed around the room, sparking through the air and into the ailing robot. There was a split second where Aiwa caught its gaze. The emerald eyes were suddenly wide, and Aiwa realised that the robot, terribly, had no mouth. If it did...would it be screaming in agony?

Aiwa braced for an explosion, but none came. Instead, the robot crumpled to the floor, its shadow smacking down as the sparking faded into blackness once more. Aiwa lit a flame and moved cautiously over to its form. It was curled up in the foetal position, eyes now dark and dead. Looking up, she saw the form of the first robot that had tackled her. Its eyes had also gone dark. There was no joy in Aiwa's heart.

Her ribs aching, Aiwa tore off a sleeve and wrapped it around her shoulder to stem the trickle of blood. The small door was ajar, and she moved cautiously towards it, flame in hand, ears pricked to any sound. But the silence was deafening.

Cautiously opening the door, she shuddered at the empty blackness. The glow of the moss lit up much of the cavernous hallway, but it extended off into the darkness nonetheless. The one-eyed robot was nowhere to be seen, and as Aiwa walked forward through the bioluminescence, the stress of her frantic fight faded into a throbbing fear of the unknown. Where had it gone?

Quickening her pace, Aiwa strode along. With each step away from the site of the skirmish, she grew more confident in her ability to detect and counter any sudden threat. Finally, the high passage ended in another bulkhead. The huge door was lying to one side, wrenched brutally from its hinges by some ethereal force. The metal wall itself was completely intact. She walked through the circular opening and into the dark vault. Aiwa held her light up high, scanning around for any sign of the last robot – but there was nothing.

Nothing except for rows of dead computer terminals, huge mechanical limbs extending up into the darkness, and the crossed bars of empty cells. Aiwa steeled her nerves, as if sensing an attack, but none came. Instead, as she walked slowly forwards, a single light flickered at the end of the chamber, oscillating between red and yellow. Aiwa immediately held up her guard, but there was still no alarm. She felt the touch of alien chi extending out to her, greeting her, and she moved even closer, intrigued.

Finally, standing only a few metres from the glittering contraption that was the source of the light, Aiwa beheld a bizarre sight. The machine looked to be built into the foundations of the facility itself, with enormous pillars of cracked concrete shafting through the wall and into the ceiling. A small, roughly spherical hollow was built into the centre of this metal creature, which sported a swivelling metal ball on a podium off to one side. This was the source of the light, and Aiwa peered at the single eye which stared back at her.

Suddenly, a screen flickered behind the podium, coming to life and displaying messy computer code for a few seconds. Then it flashed through a rainbow and finished on a flickering black page that sported a single line of white text.

 _Welcome. Partial Transmigrator v1.0.4._

"Oh," Aiwa blurted out, taken aback. "It...talks. What else do you do?" She was not at all surprised to find another machine that could communicate. After Jiki and the other robots that had just attacked her, she was curious to see how far the Jishu research programs had progressed.

 _Partial transmigration facilities available._

"What does that mean?"

 _Portal to Spirit World inactive. Awaiting activation command._

"Right..."

Aiwa turned away to think for a second. Was this what the lion turtle had intended? If so, why not just take her to an active portal? The Eastern Spirit Portal was on the way...

There had to be more.

"What other services do you provide?" Aiwa asked quietly, and was pleased to see the text answering her question.

 _Experience recall available. Activation log available. System tools available with administrator privileges._

"Recall previous activation," Aiwa requested clearly. Surely the Preservation had been here? She had passed numerous alcoves and panels which looked like they'd had gadgetry forcibly removed from them with precision tools. The place had been looted.

 _Previous activation 13.5 years ago._

"Details?"

 _Administrator privilege: Bataar Beifong. Portal inactive. Diagnostics output requested._

So the Preservation had been here and taken everything of value. Yet they had repeatedly said that so much of the Jishu's prized research had been lost in the downfall of the old world. Had they lied, or were there more repositories hidden away throughout the world? Xue had gloated about looting the Republic City and Lake Laogai vaults only recently.

Then, another thought occurred to Aiwa.

"Do you have a search function?" The electronic archives in the Silent Fortress certainly did, so why would it not be present in technology that presumably predated the Preservation?

 _Provide keyword(s)._

"Junto, Avatar, visit."

 _Avatar Junto log. Visits: 14. Elapsed time: 79 hours. Activities: senior staff interaction, battle robot training program participation, experimental technology testing participation, surgery._

Surely Aiwa could believe the virtual logbook of a machine. Junto had indeed spent time here, and undergone surgery to unlock his Avatar state. Zaheer's statements, the intense fields emanating from the derelict operating theatre, and now this. And 'experimental technology'? That had to be the suit that the Jishu had gifted Junto to help in the war effort, the one which Aiwa had seen in Mako's memories.

"Alright, and I guess this was the intention all along." She cleared her throat, smiling broadly. "Activate spirit portal."

 _Error: subject absent._

"So do I need to stand in the hollow?"

Immediately, Aiwa's mind questioned her intentions.

 _"Should you do this?"_

 _"What choice do I have?"_

 _"This is beyond absurdity. Your escape, the lion turtle, those robot guards, this facility, the mere existence of this machine, and now you're going to step into the unknown again?"_

 _"I am."_

Aiwa silenced the bickering inner voices, and stepped forwards into the spherical chamber, which began to hum ever so softly. Turning, she could see the morphing red-yellow glow of the single eye reflected on shining metal... The steel of a humanoid form.

A single, emerald orb glinted at her. Shredded cables hung loose in the half-light, and the shadow of a broken jaw loomed on the far wall. Aiwa's heart leapt with fear.

"Activate!"

Immediately, there was a rushing noise, and Aiwa felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. Then the sensations morphed into more familiar ones, and Aiwa was wrenched from the physical realm and flung far out across the void and into the furthest light...


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Out of the Past, P2

Chapter 18: Out of the Past, Part 2: Old Enemy  
256 AG  
Oblivion Rise, Endless Silence, Spirit World

* * *

After what felt like an eternity of falling, colours and shapes emerged from the void. Aiwa was on her hands and knees, shaking a little. The air around her was cool and dry. The hard stone that pressed against her hands was reassuring. Looking up, she saw infinite fields of glittering crystals, and as her gaze extended skyward, the sea of quartz blended almost seamlessly into a starry sky.

Aiwa breathed deeply, standing up and checking herself for bruises and scrapes. An emerald eye lingered in her memory, chilling her to the core, but she pushed the image of the robot's blazing gaze and broken jaw to one side. Aiwa focussed, bringing her attention to her surroundings.

She was standing on a small ledge that jutted precariously out over a drop into the sea of crystals. Looking up and around her, she realised that it was one of a vast number of craggy outcrops poking out of the side of a huge mountain. In fact huge didn't quite cut it – the rising slope seemed to stretch upwards to infinity, a perfect plane ending in a singular speck among the stars. Behind her, the wide stone ledge extended a short way into the mountainside of solid granite. The grey rocks around her were cracked and blackened, and a smell of hot tar lingered in the air. It seemed her arrival had been a violent event.

Unable to see another path, Aiwa gave herself a few moments to gather her senses, before beginning to climb the cliff face.

* * *

 _"Just where do you think you're going?"_

 _"There has to be a purpose to all this – this is what the lion turtle intended. I need to be here, and there's something I have to do."_

 _"You have the most absurd notions sometimes. There is no universal hand guiding the path of grains of sand like you. The beach of reality has no ultimate plan for such insignificant specks, other than to see you washed to and fro by the tides of nature."_

 _"Then what else should I do?"_

 _"Return to the physical world! You're near the Eastern Spirit Portal. Travel across the quartz plains and to the mountain where the portal comes out."_

Aiwa would not listen to reason. Instead, she climbed ever higher. The cliff face, although sheer, was not a challenge, for there were countless ledges and holds to grip and the assistance of her firebending. An owl hooted, its gentle call echoing through the rock itself, and the sighing of the winds in the crags reminded Aiwa of home.

Home. That's what the Silent Fortress was to her. Regardless of the Preservation's faults – the concealed truths and brutal methods – the settlement housed the remnants of mankind, the last humans who would one day reform civilisation. It was home to the millions to whom the future belonged. And it was Aiwa's home, too.

Her mind turned to the intricacies of the Spirit World. If she was bending, what did that mean for the machine that had brought her here? Decades ago, researchers had distinguished the subtle differences in a person's form if they meditated into the Spirit World as opposed to entering directly via a portal. Clearly, this machine operated on the principles of the latter...

Aiwa's ears picked up another sound. Behind the fading sighs of wind was a faint tune warbling from a tsungi horn. She recalled tales of old Iroh, Lord Zuko's uncle and a great man. Korra had met him in the Spirit World – twice. Could he still be here? Was he waiting for her at the top of the cliff? Was _he_ guiding her?

As Aiwa continued to climb her awareness shifted from the quicksand of her thoughts and into her body. She was not growing tired – in fact, as she climbed, breathing all the way, energy filled her to the core. The cliff above her was no longer infinite, and an end was in sight. The sound of the tsungi horn continued to haunt the cliffs.

Aiwa reached the top, clambering up over the edge to stand gazing upwards. She noticed that, even though it was night-time in the Spirit World, there were no stars visible. A brief glance behind her revealed that the world below no longer existed. Strangely, this seemed completely normal...

Aiwa stopped, clutching her head and gazing without comprehension into the sparse grass and gentle slope ahead of her. What was going on? Her mind was slowing down, and it was not concerning but merely odd. What was happening to her Where was she going?

The questions didn't seem to matter anymore. All that mattered was that she keep walking.

* * *

By and by, as she strolled up the slope, Aiwa noticed that she was no longer alone: walking ahead of her were three figures. Occasionally, they glanced over their shoulders to smile at her. All three were pearly white and translucent, and they kept their distance. It didn't take long for her memories to identify them as past Avatars: Roku, Aang, and Korra. Aiwa smiled back, wondering vaguely why she wasn't surprised at their presence. It was like her consciousness was somehow fading away the higher she went.

The ground was cobalt blue, with grass fading slowly from pink to purple as she climbed ever higher. Grey trees with crimson leaves spotted the land, but Aiwa barely noticed them, keeping her eyes fixed on the Avatars leading the way. Vaguely, she wondered where the fourth was...

At long last, as the space above her morphed into a starless void, Aiwa came to a mound of boulders. Beyond, Aiwa noticed three spires of light, very faint, extending up into the blackness. Korra, Aang, and Roku vanished, and Aiwa was left gazing up at a lone figure sitting upon the highest rock. Without hesitation, she clambered up onto the wide platform beside him. For a split second, the crown of her head burst open in agony, and conception came flooding back into her mind. What was all this? What did it mean? Had he guided her here?

Then, it was gone again, and Aiwa's train of thought sailed off into oblivion. She smiled, and the ancient man smiled back.

His face was lined but full of colour. There was no hair upon his head, but a great beard flowed down onto his lap. His garbs were a faded orange with yellow lining, and around his neck hung a rough necklace. Clearly he was an airbender – an ancient airbender.

"Please sit down," the man spoke lightly, his voice strangely lively for a man of so many centuries. "You're the first visitor I've had in a while. Are you thinking very much?"

"No," Aiwa answered with a smile, seating herself cross-legged before him. "I had a moment just now with a nasty headache, but it's fine. All gone."

"Good. That's good. Now, tell me, what are you feeling?"

Aiwa observed her body for a few seconds, before answering.

"Peace. It's unnatural, but it's good. Very good. I don't really want to think about it much."

There was something about this place – this mountain. It's altitude above the Spirit World meant that it was just a dream. Not in reality, but in conception, the objects of consciousness. Such things – the meanings of thoughts and feelings – simply didn't matter anymore.

"Excellent." The old man bowed his head gently, and Aiwa returned the gesture. "And what is your name?"

Aiwa frowned, her head twinging momentarily.

"Aiwa. But don't you know? You brought me here."

The old man laughed, his hooting echoing out over the peak of the mountain. Aiwa realised that the tsungi horn had faded away. She had not noticed until now.

"I didn't bring you here. You came of your own accord."

"I was lead here," Aiwa insisted, "I didn't know...anything. I was guided." Her head was aching again.

"Stop attaching yourself to thoughts," the man spoke with authority, "it's not appropriate here. Speak your mind without focussing on its contents or associating yourself with them. I did not guide you here."

"Alright. So who are you?" Suddenly, Aiwa had a moment of beautiful clarity. She felt, she knew, she experienced the singularity, and was experiencing it at every moment. The self-sustaining illusion of the self was gone, and she was self-less. She smiled.

"Lahima. Do you know of me?"

"Yes," Aiwa replied. She knew of him. "People have done bad things in your name. They've used your teachings for evil."

Lahima laughed again, and Aiwa could not help but smile in return.

"My teachings? I taught men and women thousands of years ago. I'd have expected them to have all been forgotten by now."

Aiwa laughed, and for a moment her headache threatened to return.

"Come, Aiwa, sit with me. Breathe, relax, be aware, and focus on the moment. Are your thoughts troubling you? Are they even yours?"

Aiwa observed for a moment, before answering and smiling.

"Not anymore."

* * *

Descending down the gentle slope, Aiwa continued to simply live in the moment. She noticed the spirits of past Avatars ahead of her once more. They were guiding her back towards the Spirit Portals, but Aiwa wasn't thinking about that. In fact, she was scarcely thinking at all.

Her meditation with Lahima had lasted an unknown amount of time. Plenty of mental activity had taken place, but that was all. None of it had broken through the incredible clarity she was experiencing to reassert the illusion. A word was floating through her mind, now.

 _"Tathata."_

 _"What does it mean?"_

Aiwa let the question go unanswered, and simply lived the meaning instead.

That, after all, was the point.

* * *

She wasn't sure when or how it happened, but Aiwa was suddenly aware of her self once more. She itched her thigh as she walked, noticing how it irritated her. Her nose had twinged a little while meditating with Lahima, but the same response had not been necessary. 'Itch' and 'nose' had not been hers. The self with respect to which they were conceived was never there.

 _"Itch. Irritation. These only exist with reference to a self."_

 _"And when the self is dispersed..."_

 _"That which never was cannot be dispersed."_

"I think you've lost it," Aiwa called out loud to herself, realising that, with decreasing altitude, the effects of the fading reality, or whatever it was, were allowing her mind to function as it normally did.

She was walking down a dry creek bed. The colour palette here was all blues and yellows, with golden leaves falling from ochre trees and thick cobalt grass zigzagging down into the receding mist. Ahead, the three Avatars were still visible, but barely.

All of a sudden, Aiwa stopped. She had descended a long way, and her mind was now fully-functional once more –

 _"What was all that?"_

 _"All what?"_

 _"Everything! The lion turtle, the robots, the portal machine, the climb up the cliff, the monk...Lahima! He had to have guided you to him somehow. But why?"_

 _"Why does everything have to come back to reason and purpose? Can't you just accept that some things simply happen?"_

 _"That doesn't make any sense. Look_ _at what you've just experienced. It's absurd! And what are_ they _doing here? And where's the other one? "_

Aiwa opened her eyes, having realised they were closed. She was sitting on a low branch that hung from the side of a knotty blue tree with dappled leaves and hanging creepers. She blinked several times.

"I feel like I've just woken up."

Ahead, the sparse forest sloped ever downwards, and Aiwa could make out plains of dark stone beyond thick jungle. The sky was a light pink, but was broken in three places by pillars of light, two close, one substantially further away. Her eyes followed the light down to the plains, and Aiwa surmised that their sources must lie among the rocky plains beyond the jungle.

 _"I need to get back."_

 _"To the Preservation? They'll have your head!"_

 _"I don't think so. Now be quiet. You were polite enough to not interrupt back there."_

Suddenly, the other Avatars vanished. Their passing would not have been unusual – Aiwa was now in sight of the way home – were it not for the spine-tingling snap that had accompanied their disappearance.

Suddenly, Aiwa was filled once more with chaotic emotions. Concern, uncertainty...fear.

"Hey, wait, come back!" she called out, but nothing happened. Her mind went berserk with questions once more.

 _"How did they find you in the first place? Why wait until now to connect? And why not talk to you?"_

Aiwa couldn't answer her own questions, but she had suspicions.

 _"Remember what Nurok said: "Junto's done something. Raava's damaged, or she's blocked out somehow!" And she's what ties you to the past Avatars –"_

A pair of white orbs flashed before Aiwa's eyes, and her head split once more into an agonising throb. Dropping from the branch, she began to stumble down the hill. The pain almost blinding her –

And there he was.

Standing a little way ahead down the gulley was a lone figure, white and translucent like the other Avatars. His mouth was slightly ajar, and white light blazed from his eyes. Aiwa blinked several times, paralysed by fear. Spears of ice shot up her spine and zapped her limbs, electrifying her every muscle in a state of total fight-or-flight readiness.

Then he attacked.

Aiwa leapt to one side, barely avoiding the blast of raw energy which ripped through the cobalt grass. Junto moved again, striking out. His movements were lethargic, but growing slowly in speed and power. From his outstretched palms burst forth a white blue energy, snaking and alive.

Aiwa dived to one side once more as her fire failed to slow the onrushing energy. She cried out, landing hard on her elbow.

For a moment, Junto seemed to falter, the white orbs of his eyes fixed upon Aiwa. The latter took the opportunity to dash around the attacking spirit and head towards the jungle and the portals that lay beyond.

Then he attacked once more, and Aiwa fled, propelling herself down the hill upon jets of fire. Glancing behind her, she saw that the Avatar was giving chase. Fear tore at her heart. Leaping from rock to rock, Aiwa evaded several of his attacks before finally crashing into the jungle. The colours shifted from blues and yellows into more familiar greens and reds as the chase plunged downhill. Aiwa threw herself from rock to rock, deftly springing from branches here and there. All around her, spirits of all shapes and sizes fled as Junto's spirit barrelled through the trees, striking again and again, Aiwa just ahead of his rage.

Landing once more in the creek bed, now filled with a trickle of water, Aiwa put all her energy into speed. With heat roaring out from powerful thrusts, she sprinted forwards at a hurricane's pace. Her muscles filled with strength, working against the pain of the intense, nonphysical energy. The sounds of Junto's pursuit began to fade.

Terror tore at Aiwa's heart. What was going on? Where were Korra and the others? She had to escape!

Finally exiting the jungle, Aiwa continued to tear across the ground, the rocky plains speeding by at an unearthly pace. Glancing over her shoulder, there was no sight of Junto...but she could feel his presence nonetheless. A fury that was not her own gnawed at the fringes of her consciousness, as though trying to consume her very –

"Aiwa! Aiwa, stop!"

Her rhythm upset by the shout of her own name, Aiwa's flaming steps faltered, and she tripped. She barely managed to stabilise herself, preventing a nasty crash, before smacking down onto her back and sliding along on the stony surface. She tumbled several times before rolling to a halt against an imposing rock. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of spires – the Spirit Portals. The sound of running footsteps brought her awareness out of her pained body and into her eyes and ears.

"Aiwa, are you alright?"

A Preservation soldier with a familiar voice was helping her to her feet, and around her were other faceless suits of armour. There was a Senior, too – Zhihui, a politician from the old Earth Continent with whom Aiwa was not close, but knew by face and name nonetheless.

As the soldier raised her visor to reveal Yangji's smiling face, Zhihui raised a radio to his mouth. Aiwa's mind was foggy.

"Bataar, we've found her, I say again, we've found –"

"Watch out!"

A Preservation soldier was smashed violently to the ground by the force of a blue-white ball of energy. Aiwa looked over her shoulder, and her heart leapt with terror. Her mind was filled with a single thought, which Yangji echoed as she lowered her visor.

"Run!"

"We're under attack, I say again –"

Aiwa saw Zhihui drop the radio as he dived to one side to avoid a vicious blast of energy. Preservation soldiers were organising, moving to defend. There were at least a half-dozen, but the flashing spirit that moved towards them would overpower all defences.

Aiwa ran, stumbling at first but with growing vigour as the sounds of battle faded behind her. The portals were ahead...

Finally, she tripped up a tall rise and slid down the other side to land hard at the edge of the Spiral Plains. Ahead, dozens of dark figures scurried to and fro, many sprinting towards her, silhouetted against the bright lights of the Northern and Southern Spirit Portals. Aiwa leapt to her feet, her knees crying out in pain, and carried on, running to meet the armoured figures advancing towards her.

"Aiwa," called another familiar voice – Chodak's – "what's going on? We knew you'd be in the Spirit World so we came to –"

"Junto – it's Junto!" Aiwa breathed, gasping and staggering to a halt before the soldiers. "He's coming –"

Bright light flashed across the aqua stone around her, and the Preservationists' shadows were picked out extending towards the portals. Instinctively, Aiwa rolled to one side, as a blast of energy ripped through the air where she had been standing.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Junto's bright form flipping through the air, shooting off jets of energy towards the gathered soldiers.

As Aiwa began once more to run, she saw another Senior ducking down behind a rock with a radio to her mouth.

"Shut him down! Now!"

The cries of embattled soldiers faded behind her as Aiwa continued to run. Soon, the portals were close, only a hundred metres away.

"Aiwa, look out!"

There were benches of technical equipment by the Tree of Time, more Preservation soldiers, some scientists, and Bataar Senior. Jagged energy knocked Aiwa's legs out from under her, and she came down hard upon the grey stone. Preservation soldiers moved to defend her, but were blasted aside in seconds. Through the pain of a splitting headache, she saw several scientists dashing through a portal –

The rush of another attack forced her to move to one side, and she saw Bataar flying through the air to land with a horrid snap upon the rocky ground.

The sounds of battle suddenly ceased. As she rolled onto her back, Aiwa saw the look of twisted rage in Junto's face. His pale white mask was full of fury, mouth hanging open, eyes glowing with the power of the hundreds of Avatars who had come before.

He swung a fist forwards, energy roaring, and Aiwa braced herself for the blow –

– But it never came.

Junto stopped, frozen in place. His face relaxed, the white glow around him faded, and moments later his translucent body melted into mist before fading into oblivion. His eyes lingered the longest, white orbs wide and vacant...

Aiwa collapsed to lie back upon the ground, breathing deeply, her mind reeling with what had happened. Why had Junto's spirit attacked her? Was he somehow blocking the Avatar Spirit? How had he manifested here? She had to have answers!

Aiwa stared around at the carnage. A few Preservation soldiers were picking themselves up off the ground. Many were hurt. A medic was tending to old Bataar, who was lying twisted on the hard ground. A single figure emerged from the nearest portal, visor down, staring around in apparent surprise.

"You got him," called out Bataar with surprising strength. "Go report...it's safe. He's gone."

Aiwa permitted herself to be laid back against a rock. A waterbender began to check over her injuries, but her mind was elsewhere.

Shortly, Zhihui turned up. His arm was in a sling, but he seemed otherwise unharmed, and stared down at Aiwa with pity. Aiwa stared right back. There was no anger, only a desire for the truth once more.

"You shut him down," she spoke slowly. "How?"

She thought of Nurok's hypothesis. If Zaheer was a simulation, then he might not be the only one. Who else had the Preservation reanimated? How many other spiritual signatures wandered the otherworldly wastelands, trapped in limbo for as long as their programmers wished?

Zhihui sighed and glanced over at Bataar, who was sitting up against a rock and drinking from a flask. The sky was a murky purple and a cold wind flowed over the rocks of the Spiral Plains. The light of the Spirit Portals extended up to infinity, unchanged, unaffected by the battle that had taken place.

Slowly, Bataar nodded. Zhihui swallowed, but lowered his gaze to direct it squarely at Aiwa's.

"It's time."

Aiwa stared coldly back.

"Time for what?"

Aiwa was not given an answer. But she would find out soon enough.

A cold breeze began to blow over the wasteland, a battlefield over ten-thousand years old. The clouds swirled around the twin light spires of the spirit portals. Here and there, the shapes and shadows of spirits could be seen dancing in the glow. Utterly exhausted, Aiwa drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Truth

Chapter 19: Truth  
256 AG  
Northern Spirit Portal, Spiral Plains, Spirit World

* * *

Dense clouds clotted the darkening sky, looming low. A ghostly mist crept over the battlefield, as cold and silent as those who remained on it.

Most of the Preservation personnel had left through the Northern Portal, on the other side of which a permanent base had been established. After only a few hours of sleep, Aiwa was watching several more injured men and women leave the Spirit World, carried on stretchers. Junto's assault had been unstoppable but his attacks had imparted momentum only. There were no burns or piercing wounds, few cuts, countless grazes and bruises, and a large number of broken bones. Two were dead from internal injuries, and several more were still coughing up blood, perhaps soon to follow.

"He's gone, right?" Quan asked nervously as a soldier ensured the sling around his arm was holding fast. "The spirit..."

"Junto's spirit," Aiwa confirmed, eyes fixed upon Bataar's prone form. The old man was lying upon a makeshift bed, his eyes closed. A waterbender was making passes over his chest and muttering to a soldier who was holding some strange medical device. Bataar was still, but Aiwa knew he was listening. Seconds later, he spoke.

"Patience, Aiwa. You've waited quite a few years now – what's a few more hours?"

"Hours of frustration –!" Aiwa began angrily, but Bataar cut over her.

"Please, Aiwa!" He called out, coughing a little. "We're so close now. You didn't stay long enough before to hear about the new developments. We have to do this right."

The healer hushed Bataar, coating his throat in relaxing water, but Aiwa had already turned away, deep in thought.

* * *

Several days later, a party of the highest-ranking Preservation members escorted Aiwa through the innards of the ancient Constellation Facility. She reminisced of the time she'd spent imprisoned here in the higher catacombs. She was aware of the anti-bending field this time, and could feel it suppressing her fire.

Already twelve strong, the group entered an office overlooking a cavernous metal chamber, full of the flashing lights and grinding gears of construction work. Aiwa was not yet privy to the knowledge of what was being built here, but that would come later with her advance to the rank of Senior. No, for now, her reason for being here was unknown to her. Every Senior who had joined the group was silent, and only Zhihui addressed Aiwa directly. The scrawny man, younger than most Seniors, had informally taken over the element of Xue's job that had consisted of keeping Aiwa informed.

"Senior Tsugang, ready?"

The sharp woman turned away from the console she had been plugging numbers into and nodded, giving Aiwa a brief smile.

"I've been ready for years," she spoke quietly, falling in beside Zhihui and Aiwa as the group set off through the tunnels once more. The corridors here were maintained, built of reinforced concrete forcibly injected into the mountainside decades ago and shot through with thick metal struts.

"Aiwa," Zhihua murmured, "bear with us." He had clearly noticed the fear and uncertainty growing in her expression. "What we're here to show you is a necessary part of your journey toward full realisation as the Avatar."

In the bright light of passing fluorescents, Aiwa took it in turns to examine the faces of each of the Seniors who were escorting her. Most were old – very old – their bodies withering. A few were younger, though still into their forties. In his late thirties, Zhihui was easily the youngest of the group – that was, until Zhain joined them. Aiwa ignored the familiar look of condescension in his twisted features, though this time he made an effort to give her a genuine smile.

"We're almost there..."

"What is this place, if you don't mind me asking?" Aiwa queried, not expecting a response. "There's no way we've built this since the start of the Winter."

"No, we didn't build it," Tsugang answered immediately, giving Aiwa a sidewards glance. "It was one of a number of facilities that the Jishu built and owned and were using to construct parts for their nascent space program."

"Nascent," Aiwa repeated, chuckling as she thought of the Bright Lance. "I didn't know they'd progressed so far! This is all quite impressive."

"And this is just one facility – Constellation Facility Three. The Jishu launched their craft from Anziong Peninsula, closer to the equator. Something to do with orbital mechanics...I never understood it."

"Bataar could explain it, if he were here," another voice spoke, and Aiwa turned to see Ancient Tahu plodding along near the rear of the group. The firebender's eyes were fixed upon Aiwa and his gaze was filled with anger.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened –" Aiwa began, but Tsugang cut right across her, walking up to confront the Ancient directly.

"What's done is done. Aiwa didn't intend it, and that should be good enough. Do you need to be reminded of how much it's cost us to get this far?"

"She needs to stay in line!" Tahu croaked, poking a withered finger at Tsugang's chest. "Respect begets respect, and I think our Avatar here could do with some –"

"Respect has to begin somewhere, Tahu. And if Aiwa has very little for us, then whose fault is that? If the student fails to learn, is there a spirit in their body that is choosing to fail? Does their _soul_ will it? Or is the teaching of the master insufficient?"

"Xue never let up! He gave that brat more fire and fury than anyone else when she made mistakes –"

"But he also understood that there's more to teaching than simply belittling those under your guidance when they slip up! Everything has its place."

"You seem to have forgotten yours –" Tahu scowled, but another Senior stepped forwards, another Ancient. Azasck was hunched over and shook a little with damaged nerves, but her will and wits were as sharp as ever.

"You old fool! We're finally on the cusp of changing the facts again, and you're ranting about respect? Old customs die hard!"

"Azasck is right – Tahu, enough."

"Let him speak – the Avatar's put us through too much trouble to get away without a scolding, and a necessary one at that –"

Aiwa's head turned again and again, following as each head began to bicker. Even the body of Preservation Seniors was imperfect it seemed, with internal strife just itching to jump out.

 _"It's what you get for fusing almost every culture on Earth to create an organisational body."_

 _"It's disgusting! They should be better than this."_

Aiwa's rising fury burst forth so suddenly that she surprised even herself.

"Hello! Are you all going to stand around trading verbal barbs or am I going to find out what today is all about?"

All heads turned to Aiwa, a few mouths open in shock. Immediately, Tahu stepped forwards on the offensive, but Aiwa beat him to it.

"You've lied to me – all of you – again and again and again!" Aiwa had decided that the shades of truth she had slowly peeled away had diverged so far from what she actually knew to be true that her masters and mentors could only be liars of the highest order. "These past few months, I've learned so much, and none of it makes sense! None of it confirms what I've been taught! There are just so many questions, and you still expect respect? Well I'm sorry, but you've got to earn it – otherwise why teach us to be critical of authority at all? What's it all for?"

Aiwa noticed that Varli had silently joined the group. He gave Aiwa a brief nod, before directing his attention to Tsugang.

"Can we all agree that Aiwa's right on this, at least? This ridiculous bickering serves no purpose." Tsugang was still glaring at Tahu, but the latter seemed finally to understand that quarrelling was useless right now. He nodded curtly and took a step back to indicate his departure from the argument. Varli placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two men turned away to speak quietly together.

"Right. With that dealt with, how about we explain, as Aiwa says, what today is all about?" Tsugang spoke with a grimace.

There was a general muttering of assent from the assembled body of Seniors and Ancients, which was growing by the minute as more and more Preservationists arrived.

"Onwards, then." Tsugang turned to Aiwa. "We're going to the numbered cells."

* * *

"So who's in the prisons? The lowest numbers – who are they? If you're going to let me meet them, why not tell me now?"

The group had reached the last prison chambers, those deepest inside Shanxi Mountain. There were fewer lights here, and more guards, silent figures in full armour and sporting gadgetry additional to UPF standard issue equipment. The Seniors passed quickly through all the checkpoints, and at the second last they were joined by a grim-faced Chodak. Aiwa had scarcely seen the man's face before. The airbender was blocky, with a thickset face and serious lines of facial hair. He attempted to grace Aiwa with a smile, but managed little more than a parody of lockjaw. Aiwa noticed that he was out of uniform, wearing short grey robes to match his hair. There was a middle-aged woman with him who was clearly a relative, probably his daughter.

"With enough time, you could probably guess the identities of one or two of them. However, it's best that you see them with your own eyes and hear their stories with your own ears. We believe it's necessary for your acceptance of the part you must play as the Avatar."

Aiwa dwelled on Tsugang's words for a moment, before beginning to reply. However, she was cut short by Haru the messenger arriving unexpectedly with news for Tsugang. He handed her a small slip of paper.

"I see," she said solemnly after reading the note with an ashen face. "We may have to change the order of the visits."

"Why?" Zhihui inquired.

"Jinora's outstanding request has expired, and I forgot to extend the date. It's already been done." Her eyes swept over the other Seniors, who all gave her mixed looks of frustration and acquiescence. She continued. "So it's a change of plans. We'll have to start with Prisoner Three." Tsugang turned to Tahu. "We'll be visiting them in order after all, as you suggested."

Tahu nodded.

"I thought it was best."

Aiwa looked from one to the other, confused, before resigning herself to the fact that she would have to wait to discover what Jinora's request was all about.

By and by, the group came to a wide bulkhead with a small door. Aiwa was reminded unnervingly of the architecture from the Anziong underground facility. The group passed through the doorway in single file. Aiwa noticed that the space on the other side was much more enclosed, with prison cells pressed in tight. The air was stuffy and the light was dim.

"Av'tar, hello."

"Shiun?"

"Yep, jus' me."

Aiwa gazed sadly through the bars of the nearest cell. The wizened waterbender returned her faded smile. How long had it been since their revealing conversation, since his incarceration following Aiwa's mistake at the Central Medical Centre?

"You know," Tsugang spoke quietly, after they had moved on, "we've every reason to release him after this has all been dealt with. Shiun's only failing, besides basic incompetence, was his willingness to spread dangerous information."

"The truth, you mean," Aiwa shot back.

"You still don't get it." It was Zhain who had snapped at her, and Aiwa rounded on him viciously. She was not in the mood.

"Oh really? Enlighten me –!"

"Enough. We're almost there."

Aiwa glared first at Zhain and then at Tsugang, before realising that the group had stopped beyond a soundproofed door. The cell nearby was large, with generous furnishings for a prison. The inmate, an elderly man, looked oddly familiar.

"Aiwa, this is Prisoner Three. He is Avatar Junto's father."

With the backdrop of almost two dozen Preservation Seniors squashed into the small alcove between the cell and the wall before it, Aiwa approached the bars, her mind filling with fascination.

"The Avatar, eh?" a voice croaked, and its owner moved into view. As his face came into the light, Aiwa saw the resemblance. The man had Junto's jawbone and forehead ratio. "I was hoping I'd get to see you, my son's _legacy_."

"What's your name?" Aiwa asked quietly.

"Qiang, ol' Qiang, that's me. What was it you wanted me to tell her?" The question was directed at Tsugang.

"Origins, reconnection, and surgery," the Senior spoke briskly, "like we discussed. No digressions. And be quick about it. We have other prisoners to visit –"

"Prisoners? You treat us mighty fine down here to still be calling us that – but that's neither here nor there. Well, Avatar Aiwa, I guess I'll do my job, then maybe they'll let me go back to sleep. I need a lot of it these days."

He let out a rasp of a laugh. The man appeared to be on the cusp of losing his mind, or at least taking steps in that direction. Aiwa didn't know how seriously to take him. "Origins?" She asked uncertainly, tracking Tsugang's words.

"Yes. We believe that, to truly understand yourself, you need to know as much about Junto as you possibly can."

"Yeah," Aiwa murmured, uncertainty creeping back into her mind. What else was there to learn? The Preservation had cleverly guided her learning in order to avoid a direct accusation of teaching lies, but then Aiwa had discovered so much on her own.

Qiang cleared his throat.

"Well, they say I'm Junto's father. I wasn't around when Junto was born, as I ran away. Hardly honourable, I know…" But a hiss from Tsugang kept the old man on track. He cleared his throat again.

Aiwa listened intently as Qiang recounted the first time he ever saw his son. The Seniors stood silently by as he told of Junto's incognito visit to Republic city, only a few years before the war broke out. Qiang had been deeply unnerved by his son's neutral speech and emotionless expression – that was until Junto had begun to express deep uncertainty about his role in worldly affairs.

"I told him he was being ridiculous!" Qiang grumbled, growing emotional. "He could use his powers to do anything – _anything_ – and somehow he didn't believe that his power made him right. I even called him weak."

Aiwa opened her mouth to retort but Tsugang shot her a scathing glare with a clear message: now was not the time to argue moral philosophy.

"And he says to me, 'Dad, I'm a terrible Avatar.' Well I just didn't know what to say to that!"

Aiwa had never before imagined Junto having such doubts, but it seemed more than plausible.

"The other Avatars," Qiang continued, squinting with the effort of remembering details," the past Avatars, they hated him. They...they hated and despised him with a loathing he struggled to describe. Junto said they were blocking his access to the Avatar State. At least, until he had surgery. "

"Go on," Aiwa prompted, almost breathless with excitement. Very little of this was new, but nevertheless the dots in her mind were joining up.

However, it was Tsugang who spoke next.

"Allow me. We now know that Jishu neuroscientists had determined exactly how to alter the Avatar's brain so that volitional activity from the Spirit World could not impact the physical realm but so the Avatar State could still be accessed. It was a complex procedure, to say the least."

"I know," Aiwa murmured, lost in thought. But even as she returned to the present, Tsugang and some of the other Seniors murmured irritably.

"It's difficult for us to keep track of how much you really _do_ know," Tsugang sneered.

"But then Junto said," Qiang cut in, oddly eager to continue his story, "that he was going back for more surgery."

"Why?" Aiwa blurted out. Qiang leaned back against the wall of his cell, a sad look upon his ancient features.

"He said he wasn't happy with his own brain, said he'd come to realise that he didn't think like others. Sure, he was strong and skilled. He had powers other humans, even past Avatars, could never dream of, and he had no qualms with using them in pursuit of some greater good. The problem was, he believed that if he couldn't properly connect with other humans, if he couldn't get what it was like to feel anything like making love or losing a loved one, how was his version of good even slightly applicable to everyone else? My, it was so complicated!"

Aiwa sighed, closing her eyes momentarily, before asking the next obvious question.

"So what did he have surgery for?"

"His 'mental defects', as he called them. Not a man for euphemisms, my Junto. He went back and worked for the Jishu – he practically won the war for them. And in return, they studied his brain until they figured out how to make him more...human."

"And he went under the knife," Aiwa added, finishing this part of the story for herself. "I saw the operating theatre where it happened."

"Alright, that's all the important points. We need to move on." Tsugang's interruption was unwelcome but apparently necessary. Qiang moved back away from the bars.

"My son's dead," he croaked harshly, "so you better do all you can to keep his legacy going, Avatar Aiwa."

The group began to move again, with Tsugang leading the way, and Aiwa followed without a rearward glance. Her mind was performing backflips.

So Junto was born of rape, suppressed by the past Avatars for a nature beyond his own control, and went back for a second go at surgery. He'd even begun to doubt himself, and well before the end of the war! But why? Aiwa suspected the answers would lie with the other prisoners they were on the way to visit.

Another thought crossed her mind: had Avatar Junto been unfairly judged? The past incarnations had hardly been scrupulous in staying on the moral high road, and had strayed from it many times...or so she had been told. Given the complicated world that Junto had been thrust into and the expectations he had been laden with, how much better could he have done?

After several minutes, the party entered a wide, flat tunnel with an arched ceiling and better lighting. A procession was moving slowly in the opposite direction and she and the Seniors all stood back against walls to allow free passage.

Aiwa caught Jinora's eye as the elderly airbender walked slowly by. Her face was streaked with tears, but she managed a brief smile. By her side was Kai, even more sombre than usual. Then came the procession's centrepiece.

"It's Tenzin," Zhihui spoke quietly into Aiwa's ear, and the young Avatar could just make out Tenzin's body upon the bier. He had passed on, and was finally at peace. "Jinora's been demanding that he be allowed to die for years now. We suspect he wouldn't have been of much use to you anyway."

This sparked Aiwa's anger.

 _"To me? What about the right the man has to his own life? Or to end his own life of his own volition?"_

 _"Everyone has to serve a purpose_ _–"_

 _"Yeah, but not just to me!"_

Aiwa kept her temper in check as the procession marched slowly by. There were a few other faces she recognised: Tenzin's other children, Ikki and Meelo, old Pema in a wheelchair, great-granddaughter Pema who was Aiwa's good friend, and even Sangye, Tenzin's great-great-grandson. Aiwa felt a little sadness that the living genealogy had so recently been severed by Xue's death.

"How old was he?" Aiwa asked afterwards, as the group was walking again.

"Tenzin? One-hundred and thirty-seven. He should have died a long time ago, but we kept him going."

Once more, Aiwa's mind plunged into an ethical debate inspired by Zhihui's words. But she had no time to dwell, for they had come to another bulkhead.

"Very few cells left now," Tsugang remarked, as the group filed through the small opening. "Though they're mostly empty. We're in the maximum-security zone."

Aiwa's brow furrowed.

"And who do you keep in here?"

"You'll see. This way."

She was lead down a narrow passageway to an intricately detailed mechanical door. Tsugang entered a code into a nearby computer terminal and Tahu confirmed it. The solid metal slid silently away into a groove to reveal...another door. With a hiss, a pair of nearby pipes released a little vapour.

Another Senior stepped forward. With the precision of a surgeon he condensed the vapour into liquid water and inserted it into the mechanisms of the second door.

"Surely not. So crude!" Aiwa was about to laugh, but Tsugang cut her off.

"You'd be surprised how much trouble the law had with electrical prisons back in the olden days. We take every precaution we can with prisoners like these."

The second door swung away. Zhihui took a couple of stones from a tray, crafted an intricate key with earthbending, and unlocked the third door. Aiwa noticed that he ground the key to dust afterwards and placed it back into the tray. The fourth door required a simple yet precise application of heat, which Tahu provided. Finally, Chodak sounded the airbending horns in the fifth door to open the cell.

"Out of curiosity, Aiwa: Qiang was Prisoner Three. Prisoner Two was Tenzin, now passed. Who is prisoner One?"

Aiwa met Tsugang's gaze, but could not answer her. Once upon a time she might have suspected Zaheer, but now she simply did not know.

The group entered a chamber humming with electrical equipment, and suddenly, Aiwa was overwhelmed with a desire to leave.

"I don't like it in here," she managed to blurt out, before realising what it was: a very particular anti-bending field, both stronger than and different to the one she had felt in the previous zones.

"You'll adjust," Tsugang spoke curtly, although Aiwa noticed that some of the Ancients also looked uncomfortable. "It's necessary for this one."

Aiwa walked forward towards the metal cage in the centre of the room, and gasped as she recognised the prisoner held within.

"So it _is_ you!"

"Hello, Aiwa."

Zaheer seemed even older in his physical body, and Aiwa was suddenly aware of the fact that he, also, might like to die. For a few seconds, the two simply shared a gaze. Aiwa's mind was running back over all of ideas they'd exchanged, the conversations they'd had, the impossibility of his existence here. One thing was clear: Nurok had been wrong, for Zaheer was no simulation.

Then, almost simultaneously, they began to laugh. The Seniors humoured them for a good ten seconds before Tsugang coughed audibly. Zaheer got the message. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cage, he wiped his eyes, took a deep breath, and addressed Aiwa in person for the first time ever.

"Well now, where were we?"

Again the laughter broke out, but Tsugang stepped forwards to cut them off.

"Alright enough! I get it, you two were chatting happily for months and want to catch up on all the gossip. Come on Aiwa! Zaheer, I told you, get straight to the –"

"Fine." Zaheer cut right over Tsugang, his voice filled with the force characteristic of a younger man. He had to be as old as Tenzin. "Aiwa, first of all, I'm sorry I refused to disclose certain things –" Zaheer held up a hand to silence Tsugang's impending interruption "– but if there's one thing I've come to agree with the Preservation on, it's the notion that there's a time and a place for everything. You need to be ready to learn something, and if you're not, receiving the information can be at best useless, and at worst dangerous."

"Yeah yeah, I get it." Aiwa had little patience, and was fast becoming eager to continue their discussion. "Last I remember, you were going to teach me about the Red Lotus, but then I went to Omashu and figured it out on my own. And then I thought you were a simulation."

Zaheer chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, clearly you were mistaken. I was informed of your excursion, yes. This was after the Preservation decided that your talking to me so often wasn't such a good idea. They strengthened the chi block smothering this cell and shut down my signature in the Spirit World. I understand you tangled with Nurok?"

"Tangled?" For a moment, Aiwa felt incredibly strong. "I killed him – burnt him alive. I avenged Xue."

She could have sworn a shadow passed over Zaheer's face, but his response reflected no such inner emotions.

"Good for you."

"Hold on," Aiwa blurted out suddenly, "why are you still imprisoned?" She turned to Tsugang. "All of this sounds like Zaheer has been working for you – for us," she corrected to approving nods from the Seniors. It all made sense, of course. Zaheer knew so little that he could be safely used as a means to an end, but still enough to make him useful to the Preservation.

"You might say he has been," Tsugang replied after a moment's reflection, "but his assistance was bought. We know Zaheer has his own agenda, and wishes to live." She shot the old man a glare, but he smiled broadly back, making a show of mock innocence. "So we let him live on the condition that he reach out to you to prepare you for what lay ahead. We needed to conceal many thing from him, but Zaheer's creativity meant that he performed admirably even in possession of relatively few of the facts."

Zaheer's gaze had narrowed and his smile had vanished.

"The story I possess makes very little sense," he croaked, glaring at Tsugang. "I can't guess at your designs upon the Avatar, but I'll play my part as we agreed."

Aiwa was confused. For all that she had learned, the path forward was unclear. What else was there to teach her? What riddles remained unsolved? Or were there simply more exercises in 'appropriate truths' to overcome?

"Zaheer has some more information for you, Aiwa, information –" Tsugang's piercing gaze turned to Zaheer "– on Junto's death."

Zaheer's expression was unfathomable.

"Do you recall, Aiwa, I told you that Junto received surgery to unlock his Avatar State?"

"Yes. I've also just learned that he received surgery a second time – something you never mentioned."

"It wasn't important to tell you, then. But do you also recall what I said about Junto's behaviour after the war's end?"

Aiwa thought for a moment, before answering.

"Something began to haunt him – some spirit or horror or something, right?"

"Yes – the Essential Horror, he called it. There were hints from the spies from early days. Junto would occasionally act like he'd seen something that was clearly not there, something that scared him – and precious little ever scared the War Avatar."

Aiwa snorted.

"The 'War Avatar'? Who called him _that_?"

"Until their downfall, the White Lotus did. That's what they wanted – an Avatar to rule with an iron fist over the restless and unruly humans of this world. Didn't I tell Korra that the White Lotus had lost its connections to its origins, and in doing so lost its direction for the future? Well, so it did – and the Red Lotus took its place marvellously –"

"Until you started to see that their way wasn't right, either."

Zaheer smiled.

"Talk a lot with Nurok, did you?"

Aiwa returned his grin.

"Quite a lot. Go on."

"Well, I'm told you've just been to speak with Qiang. I did so myself, many years ago now. I needed to find out about Junto, and I discovered much. Junto went back for surgery, and I connected the dots outlining his condition. When it all fell into place, I knew how he could be brought down."

"How?"

"To understand how, you have to understand exactly what Junto was experiencing, right before he destroyed the old world..."

* * *

237 AG  
Knotted Toe, Chameleon Bay, Eastern Plate, Earth Continent

Hovering between the trees, Zaheer dashed to and fro as blasts of fire tore through the leaves around him. Occasionally, he managed to let return a jet of air in his attacker's direction, but Junto was too fast, too strong.

Finally, Zaheer was struck by an unexpected pillar of stone and sent hurtling into the ground. His collarbone shattered under the impact, and he lay panting on his side as the Avatar alighted nearby. Three Red Lotus juniors lay nearby, their bodies torn and broken.

Junto might has well have been invincible, perfect, with powers unmatched by anything imaginable. No human or spirit could stop him now, and even cosmic events like an impending asteroid or supernova were no guarantee of extinction. Yet, here he was, weakened beyond belief, almost helpless.

"Do you see that young man there? The one with the curly hair?" Zaheer coughed, as Junto approached. The Avatar's face was red with rage and damp with tears. "He had a devoted partner, a lover back in Tagong. She's never going to see him again, and when she learns what –"

"Liar!" screamed Junto lashing out. Zaheer braced himself for the impact, but the fire blast barrelled through trees instead, adding to the flames already blazing through the thick forests of the Knotted Toe.

"It's no lie," Zaheer retorted with as much strength as he could muster. "And that young lady there? A shy academic, a good airbender, just trying to make a positive difference. Now she has no future."

"I don't care –"

"You have to. As the Avatar, it's your duty to the world to care, to feel, to understand exactly what humans go through! But for _you_ , Junto, it's your curse, when it's supposed to be your greatest strength!"

Junto had fallen to his knees, clutching his head. He seemed to be staring at something away behind Zaheer...

"What do you mean?" the Avatar breathed.

"You tell me! You're the Avatar, you should know your own purpose in life."

Junto's eyes filled with tears, but he suddenly jumped up and thrashed about with intense flames.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed, and Zaheer knew the end was nigh.

"You don't know, do you? You can't. You're unable to – or at least, you were unable to –"

"Shut up!" Junto spat, turning viciously to face his attacker. "I know my place, and I know it now better than ever before."

"Can you turn back time? Can you bring back the people you've killed, the lives you've destroyed? You, Avatar Junto, have been responsible for more human suffering than any Avatar previously, despite having the power and intelligence to commit the greatest acts of good. Now, why do you think that is?" Zaheer ended his sentence on a quiet note, and watched as Junto slid to his knees again.

"I'm better now..." Junto choked, his hands over his face. "They fixed me. I can think and feel and do everything a –"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I know the answer."

"Do you really? Look what at you've done. They might have fiddled with your brain so you can feel like the rest of us, but _you_ remain the same. All that's changed is that you're now able to see clearly what you're doing, what you've created... What you've really become."

Once more, Junto was staring at something behind Zaheer, and the latter knew what it was. The Essential Horror was an entity that existed in mind only, but Junto could no longer see that. Now, a god's nightmares were manifest before him, and he was tearing himself apart.

"But it's over, now," Zaheer spoke quietly, smiling at the horrified Avatar. "It's all over. You've won. The Jishu are victorious, the Wushi crushed, the Red Lotus in tatters, and I'm lying at your feet, on death's doorstep. And yet, there is nothing left of _you_."

Finally, it started. Junto's eyes glowed white, surging with an energy that seemed to blast the Avatar upright. He growled, shaking in anger, but the force from within was too strong.

"Even Raava's had enough!" Zaheer shouted above the growing whirlwind. "She's done with you, the War Avatar. There's no use fighting now! Let go..."

With incredibly acceleration, the tornado grew around them into a surging spiral of raw energy. Trees were torn from the ground and grass, dirt, and dead bodies vanished into the winds. Junto's hands were clasped over his temples, but his eyes – if you could even call them his anymore – were fixed firmly upon Zaheer. The injured airbender stared back into the white glow, his mouth forming what he thought would be his last words.

"I'm sorry," Zaheer whispered, braced for the end. "I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

"He flattened the island, removed part of the physical realm and flung it into the Spirit World, and annihilated himself" Zaheer spoke quietly, though Aiwa thought she could sense a touch of arrogance in his words. "I was responsible for the single most destructive event to ever grace the earth's surface."

Aiwa was silent and sad.

Zaheer continued, "When I came to – and no, I don't know how I survived – I was lying in the Spirit World by the new Eastern Portal, and I was surrounded by Preservation soldiers. I've been here ever since."

Zaheer gestured around himself, smiling grimly.

"It's a fantastic prison, but I keep telling them it's wasted on me. My body's ruined, maintained only by constant medical attention."

"And yet," Tsugang cut in harshly, "you're still dangerous and too valuable. And this prison wasn't a waste."

* * *

"Where now?"

Aiwa was confused and frustrated. Hadn't she learned everything she needed to? Had not every last question been answered?

"You'll see," Tsugang replied quietly. "You're ready now."

"For what?"

They had arrived at another door. This one had fewer, simpler locking mechanisms. The space beyond was cool and dark, and Aiwa could make out a multitude of machines through the small window.

"Enter."

Aiwa walked through the door, staring around blankly.

"Lights?"

"On it."

To her left was a cell.

Then the lights flicked on.

Aiwa's shoulders slumped, her mind falling away into oblivion.

She had nothing to say.

Junto sat in a corner, leaning against the bars of the cell, his mouth ajar and his eyes wide and staring. There were no details, just solid grey orbs, faded and gazing off into the void. His sallow skin hung loose around his jaw, and wisps of grey hair stuck out from his scalp at odd angles. He was incredibly thin. Thin, still, and silent.

Behind her, Aiwa heard someone step forwards. Then, Varli spoke.

"He's stuck," the teacher explained quietly, "in the Avatar State. He doesn't do much, just shifts around his cell a few times a week. We rarely touch him or move him, and he never responds. We don't need to do anything, not even feed him. There's nothing we can do. His body's decaying, slowly but surely. He's dying. Look at his eyes."

Aiwa licked her lips, taking a deep breath.

"It's how you were able to shut him down," she spoke hoarsely. "He might be helpless here, but in the Spirit World..."

"We let him roam. It never caused any problems – until now."

"So he survived," Aiwa said out lout as though trying to convince herself, to make this last piece of information fit the facts.

Vaarli continued, "Just like Korra and Kuvira, all those years ago, when the Western Portal was created. Zaheer was _almost_ right: it wasn't Raava who finally rebelled, but simply a complex chain of cause and effect in Junto's inter-dimensional psycho-physical existence – which is putting it simply..."

There was a murmur of amusement from the ranks of the assembled Seniors, but when Aiwa cleared her throat, they all fell silent. She was still staring into Junto's dim eyes.

"I've never been able to bend more than fire," she murmured. "And the tumour?"

"The tumour was real," Tsugang spoke quietly. "It almost derailed all our plans, but was really a blessing in disguise. We could blame your bending difficulties and ineptitude at spiritual meditation on its lasting effects."

"Everyone thought I was the Avatar," Aiwa croaked, "everyone I met. Mako, Zaheer, the robot in Ba Sing Se –"

Suddenly, something Jiki the robot had said became clear: ' _Sleep, and the anomaly will pass._ 'The anomaly was not Raava, like Aiwa had supposed, because Raava had not been present. The anomaly was the drug running through Aiwa's veins, and Jiki had not realised this for some time.

Aiwa thought and thought and thought. It all made sense. It fit the facts. Everything she had suffered, every experience, was compatible with what she now saw before her. She swallowed.

"So this means...I'm not actually the Avatar –"

"No," Varli cut in, "you _are_ the Avatar."

Aiwa turned to look at him. Her mind was weary and her heart heavy. She had no patience left for games.

"You're going to need to help me through this," she said slowly, "because I don't think I'm quite there yet."

Varli shifted uncomfortably, as did a few other Seniors.

"We arranged for Zaheer to talk with you for as long as he did because it was perfect preparation for this. At the same time, everything _we_ did – everything we taught you, every skill and fact and figure you learned – was to help you become a better Avatar. So what's changed?"

Aiwa thought for a moment. She knew what she wanted to say, and what she thought they needed her to say. She chose the latter.

"Nothing."

"Not quite," Vaarli said. "Are you the Avatar?"

Again, Aiwa's mind fought back hard, but she was beginning to understand them all properly now.

"I am."

"Why?"

The question threw her, and she remained silent. Varli exchanged a glance with Tsugang, who nodded almost imperceptibly. The teacher then began to fire off questions.

"Is it because we say you are?"

"No."

"Is it because we need you to be?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Aiwa, everything we've done –" Varli gestured to his fellow Preservationists, many of whom smiled or adopted more friendly stances "– has been to help and guide you. You've seen and experienced so much! Do you still think we have some ulterior motive? What else could we want that we do not already possess? The future is ours to take, with or without the Avatar if we so desire it. So why raise the Avatar? Why bring her back, reshaping her from the ashes of her ruined predecessor, rebuilding her strength and identity as a leader for the world?"

"Because you really do want to rebuild the world, and you recognise the importance of the Avatar's role in everything."

"Correct. So why are you the Avatar? Or perhaps differently, what is it that makes you the Avatar? I feel like I'm not phrasing the question quite right."

Zhihui raised his hand, and Varli nodded.

"Under what circumstances would we, given what you know of our intentions, define the Avatar?" the younger man asked.

Aiwa sighed.

"Under circumstances that necessitate my existence as the Avatar, that's obvious – but you said it's not because you need me to be! And that still doesn't help me to actually _be_ the Avatar?"

"Aiwa, how do we even define what is and isn't?"

Finally, after far too long, Aiwa had the answer. The epiphany began to fall upon her, slowly at first but gaining momentum.

"I get it. Definitions. What is truth? What is meaning? What is the meaning of truth?"

All around her, the Seniors were breaking into genuine smiles as Aiwa's excitement grew.

"I skated around this so many times with Zaheer –" Aiwa raised her hands to grasp her hair, almost laughing "– and I was so close! We create truths and facts to serve human purpose and pursuits – it can't be any other way. Truths, facts, they're all just words, dependent on time and place and the humans that created them. If a word's meaning can't be separated from the context within which it's used, or the...the utility that its existence serves, then –"

Varli cut over her, holding up his hands for silence. A few Seniors had begun to applaud.

"Knowledge is utilitarian. If the facts would create too much strife, then something needs to change – and we attack both causes of strife to enact this change: what's out there –" Varli jabbed his finger towards the ceiling, before bringing it down to his temple "– and what's in _here_."

Aiwa chuckled, tearing up.

"I needed to be ready, I get that now. If you'd..." She took a deep breath, finally willing to admit it. "If you'd told me months ago, if you'd given me this information, it would have been catastrophic. It would have torn me up and ruined me as the Avatar. I had to be ready..."

Suddenly, Bataar stepped forwards. Aiwa hadn't noticed that he'd joined the group. He was supported by a mechanical crutch and other trappings which wrapped his chest, but he seemed otherwise alright.

"You had to be ready," Bataar spoke with a smile, "for what comes next."

* * *

"The remaining problem, of course," Zhihui explained speedily as the group, now greatly shrunk, made its way up to the higher levels, "is that Avatar Aiwa has to be able to _do_ everything that an Avatar can do. Your identity as the Avatar has to be compatible with what the people believe the Avatar is, while ever you're serving a purpose with respect to humanity's needs, in interaction with –"

"I get it," Aiwa spoke, her excitement rising. "I really do. So what's the solution?"

Zhihui sighed.

"I wish Xue were here. He understood this better than anyone else! He recited this scene, he trained explicitly for this."

Aiwa bowed her head, as Tsugang hushed Zhihui.

"Just get to the point, junior Senior," she said curtly, but with a sly smile, and Zhihui stammered something incomprehensible, before continuing.

"Well Aiwa, while you were in Omashu there was a development. The quest that we've all been on these past years, trying to piece together bits of the old world, hunting down old Jishu technology, was all with this aim in mind. It was all hypothetical until Bataar found the Partial Transmigrator in Constellation Facility One, deep within Anziong Peninsula. Do you have an idea yet?"

"Sorry, no, but keep going."

"Well, do you know what 'transmigrate' means?"

"Isn't it the process of a soul moving into a new body after death?"

"Yes – but of course, we've no substantial evidence that souls exist. Jishu scientists spent years and years on this, convinced that the answer lay in chi – in the Spirit World and its interaction with the physical. Soon enough, this made no sense in the light of new knowledge from the fast-developing fields of biology and geology. We know that humans were on Earth long before the first intrusion from the Spirit World, so the source of a soul, if it exists, can't lie there. Now, the Jishu scientists might not have succeeded in their stated goals, but they did achieve some extraordinary things in the process, as so often happens in science."

"Oh?"

"They developed the first actual transmigrator, a machine reconstructed from failed tests for the human soul. They appropriated the term because it seemed to fit: if there's no soul, then transplanting a human being – or any physical matter – into the Spirit World is as close as you can get to what the word actually meant. I say 'meant', because we're hoping that the old meaning of the word will die out, and the new one will take hold."

"Then Bataar found the Partial Transmigrator..." Aiwa prompted.

"Yes! But why 'Partial'? Because the Jishu scientists knew what the next step was before they finished it, only the Great Winter destroyed both them and their hopes of building it."

"What is it? What's the next step?"

"The Total Transmigrator: a machine which we have just finished building, and which you will lay eyes on in a few minutes. Preliminary tests show that it can move discrete quantities of spiritual energy between physical locations while retaining their connection to the physical matter around them."

"So... Oh!"

Zhihui began to laugh, and Aiwa joined him with joining realisation, but Tsugang cut them off, as stern and unyielding as ever.

"I'm obliged to tell you that there are dangers associated with this," she said severely. "We will transplant Raava into you – we have to. Junto is slowly withering away. Raava can't sustain his body forever, and if he dies like that then the Avatar will cease to exist. We're running out of time to perform the operation – but it could go wrong."

"Of course," Aiwa murmured. "It's a tricky operation that's never been performed before – its metaphysical _type_ has never even been performed before! Can I expect an immune response to an alien spirit? How probable is death?"

"Don't joke about this!" Tsugang hissed. "We need you to be completely on board and accepting of this. We may not get another chance if you die, and even if Junto lives long enough we'll need to create a new Avatar."

"I understand," Aiwa replied quietly. "I know what's at stake. You've spent years building me up for this. I'm ready, and I know what might happen if this doesn't succeed."

"Junto's stuck in the Avatar State, and he's slowly dying," Zhihui stated simply. "I know it's a cliché, but failure just isn't an option."

* * *

Aiwa was lying on the operating table, tied firmly down but made as comfortable as possible.

"This is really interesting," Aiwa spoke, trying to keep herself calm, "because you don't even need to cut me open, do you?"

"Actually, brain surgery is required, I'm sorry to say."

"Aw, again? Shucks!"

The surgeons around her laughed – they were the same ones who had removed Aiwa's tumour only a year ago.

"So what are the odds of success? Can we put a number on it?" Aiwa's eyes flicked to look at Tsugang and the others who were off to one side. Tsugang was leaning back against the wall, her lips pursed and her arms crossed, but Bataar gave a considered reply.

"Higher than you might expect."

"Thanks." Aiwa smiled at him.

"Hey, don't sweat it, you'll be alright. The preparation for this has been tightly controlled. Also, we're bringing your friends up!"

Aiwa smiled and swallowed, her stress fading a little.

"Good."

By and by, her friends arrived.

"Hey, how you doin'?" San asked jovially.

Aiwa gave her strongest smile as San and Pema leaned over the table to grin down at her.

"Not bad. What about you guys?" Aiwa asked in return.

"Fine," they replied in unison, but Tsugang cut into their reunion.

"Alright, we're almost ready. Move away from the table, please."

Pema squeezed Aiwa's hand, and San saluted. Aiwa chuckled again.

"Oh..."

Aiwa noticed out of the corner of her eye that another body had been carried into the theatre. A pair of UPF soldiers placed Junto's body on the table beside Aiwa, before moving away to stand guard.

"So what about Junto?" she asked, as the surgeons began to bustle around her. "What will you do with him?"

"Well, we're not sure if he's even in there anymore," came Bataar's voice. "But we're thinking – and this is unanimous amongst the ranks of the Seniors – that we'll just let him die."

Aiwa smiled, even though no one was watching.

"Good. That's good."

The chief surgeon moved up to Aiwa and placed a mask over her mouth.

"Breathe normally, Aiwa..."

As soon as the air was flowing well, the woman continued to speak.

"Now, Aiwa, this is a complex procedure that's going to take some time. Physically, we only need to make minor changes to a few parts of your brain – it's the actual transplant procedure that makes it a waiting game. Thankfully, you don't need to be awake for it. In fact, we're going to anaesthetise you. Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully, alright?"

"Alright."

"This operation won't just be performed by us. We think – and this is uncertain – that there will be something you'll need to do. You can't be conscious, at least not in the physical realm, but you'll need to engage with the Avatar Spirit. So we're going to force a meditative experience. Remember those drugs you took back in Ba Sing Se? Well, we got a sample and engineered a version that would actually do what the label said – send the user on a Spirit World trip."

"Alright. Any idea on what I need to do?"

"Well...no. But you'll be in the Spirit World, and you seem to know your way around there."

The surgeon lowered her mask momentarily to give Aiwa a brief smile.

"You'll be alright. Now, are you ready?"

Aiwa took a deep breath. Was she ready?

 _"What else can you do? We're here, now."_

 _"Nothing else we can do."_

Aiwa smiled as the voices in her head agreed.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Alright Avatar, I'm administering the anaesthetic..."


	21. Chapter Twenty: Avatar Aiwa

Chapter Twenty: Avatar Aiwa  
256 AG  
The Spirit World

* * *

For a long time, Aiwa wasn't sure where she was. The transition back to tangible reality was slow and the only thing she was sure of was that she couldn't be sure of anything. At least she could still think logically. Were the surgeons even working on the part of her brain that dealt with logic? How was she even conscious at all? Was she even conscious?

" _Clearly, if you're having these thoughts, you are conscious."_

" _Can you have thoughts and be unconscious?"_

" _Part of the definition of 'conscious' would, I'd have thought, include something about being able to have thoughts."_

" _Well, neuroscience says that you can only have thoughts if you're conscious, so shall we stick with that?"_

Suddenly, and with quite a shock, Aiwa opened her eyes.

She was sitting upon a wide lily pad beneath an ornate wooden gate. Around her were bamboo thickets and giant trees covered in twisting vines. Brown mists floated over murky waters all around her, and the dense clouds above were pierced by yellow light.

"I've made it...?"

Immediately, Aiwa knew something was wrong. The feeling that permeated her being was akin to her experience of fading consciousness the last time she had visited the Spirit World. And of all the urges to strike here, the first was nausea. It was followed shortly by actual vomit. She retched into the water. Her sick tasted strangely of strawberries.

"What are you doing to my head?" she called out to no one in particular.

" _Aiwa, we can hear you. Keep talking!"_

"What?"

" _Keep talking!"_

The words were forcing their way into Aiwa's ears without her actually hearing anything.

" _Aiwa, are you there?"_

"Yes, I'm here!"

" _Fantastic! Look, the operation's going well, but you're not doing anything."_

"I've only just regained consciousness here – whatever that means."

" _Aiwa, calm down, you'll be alright. We're just not getting the right response yet. You need to find Raava, or a past Avatar, or someone who'll help –"_

"It's alright," Aiwa cut in, smiling, "someone's found me."

Aiwa stared down at the human form in the water before her. The old man smiled back. Then, with the rushing of water, he took material form, rising up to standing before her. It took her only a few seconds to recognise him, the images flooding in from memories of her favourite books.

"Avatar Roku, it's an honour to finally meet you."

Aiwa bowed, and Roku responded in kind.

"Aiwa, I'm sorry it took us so long to work out what was going on. As time passes, our sense of the physical realm fades, and it becomes more and more difficult for us to connect with Raava and the current Avatar. But we're with you now."

"I'm glad," Aiwa said, smiling broadly. "Roku, I've been meaning to ask about the mountain where you found me. I don't understand what happened there. Why did my mind fade away like that?"

"Aang could explain it better than me," Roku replied slowly, "but to explain it in brief: the Spirit World fades the further away you move from the surface."

"What do you mean 'fades away'?"

"Exactly what you experienced – a fading of the mind. Consciousness can dissolve under certain conditions. It is perhaps more correct to say that the contents of consciousness fade – hmm, even that's not quite right..."

Roku stroked his beard contemplatively, but Aiwa was impatient. This could wait.

"Aang will know better, yeah?"

"Yes. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, we struggled to connect with you. With Junto trapped and our inability to explore the physical world ever a hindrance, we could not determine who had been selected as the new Avatar –"

"Hold on, how do you know about Preservation's plan?"

Roku's smile faded a little.

"We are not so disconnected from the land of the living as that, Aiwa. But we knew their game, we understood the rules, and we believed their intentions were good, so we decided to play. Once we began to sense you entering the Spirit World, we tracked you whenever you did, and we finally found you. Only we could not come too near, as Junto's state would mean he'd attack."

"He did attack."

"That was not our doing. And in a way, nor was it his."

"What do you mean?"

Roku's expression soured. It was clear that he did not want to have this conversation, but recognised its importance for Aiwa nonetheless.

" Junto is not accountable for his actions, because..." Roku sighed. "Because we made him the way he was."

"What?"

Roku's smile had vanished altogether.

"When Avatar Korra died, too young by far, the world needed a new Avatar. War was coming, conflict over resources and ideas, a calamitous clash with the power to destroy everything that the Avatar had worked so hard to build over countless lifetimes. So, what remained of Avatars past made the collective decision to interfere with Junto to enhance his physical and mental abilities."

Aiwa breathed deeply and shook her head. Roku closed his eyes for a moment, before staring straight into Aiwa's.

"Yes, we were fools. We were scared, and our interference ultimately caused far greater harm than good. We gave Junto great power and intelligence, but we took away his ability to connect with other humans on so many levels." Roku sighed.

"You didn't intend it."

"No, but we should have known better than to take such a chance. Just as the surgeons operating on you now know the risks, so did we."

With Roku so dispirited, Aiwa felt she had to speak her mind.

"Well, I don't know if this helps, but _I_ don't blame you for it. Like you said, you knew the risks and made a decision. But this is where our views might depart. I don't think I see blame the way you do... I really don't hold you responsible."

"Then who?" Roku shot back, but Aiwa could only shake her head. Roku decided not to pursue it any further.

"Go, find Avatar Aang. Leave me to brood on my mistakes. I was the one who first put forward the idea. I was not decisive enough to prevent the Hundred Year War, so I tried to put things right by preventing the next. Instead, my actions lead to the downfall of civilisation."

"But you couldn't have foreseen the consequences –"

"If that's what you think, then so be it. Now go. Find Aang!"

* * *

Aiwa followed the prompt, making her way through the murky swamp. Slowly, the ponds dried up to become cracked and blistered mud. The trees closed in, low and dense, but the clouds above began to part. There was a clear path through the bog, still filled with brown mist, but she knew where she was going.

Eventually, Aiwa came out upon a beach. A light breeze sighed in the treetops. Leaves skipped across the stones and sand of this desolate expanse. Incredibly far out, the green and orange sea faded into the mist. What was most interesting about this place was the lack of spirits. Almost everywhere else, spirits were present in large numbers, if you knew what to look for. Yet, here they were conspicuously absent.

"Aiwa."

Looking to her right, Aiwa saw Aang walking along the beach towards her. He was dressed in orange and yellow robes, with a short black beard and a pleasant smile. He stopped and sat down on a large branch that hung low across the sand.

"Hi, Aang."

"Isn't it strange that you already feel like you're on familiar terms with us, even if you've never met us before?"

Aiwa nodded and smiled as she walked over to sit beside him.

"It's good to be here, even if the circumstances are nothing like what I ever imagined."

"Indeed," Aang said simply. "As you've probably guessed by now, you need to connect with your four most recent incarnations in order to truly become the Avatar."

"Well, actually I wasn't really sure. But are you serious about all four?"

"Why? Are you worried?"

"Yeah, I am worried. The last time I saw Junto in the Spirit World, he attacked me!"

"And things have changed," Aang continued calmly. "Junto's no longer the Avatar – that's why you're able to communicate with us at all. He's been taken out of the Avatar State, and Raava now resides within you."

Aiwa was still nervous, but Aang seemed to understand.

"Look, you're handling this very well. Once, when I was almost killed by Azula's lightning in Ba Sing Se, I had to go through a similar process of reconnection, to make sure the Avatar Spirit remained within my body. I didn't remember it afterwards, but Roku tells me I was alright. So, you will be too."

"Actually...there is something else I'd like to ask you about."

Aang smiled.

"Go ahead."

"Ancient air nomad philosophy."

"Ah." Aang stood up suddenly, and Aiwa was a little disconcerted. "My greatest mistake. How much have you learned?"

"Enough to be incredibly curious. Xue once said to me that he thought I'd handed the Preservation a solution to the problem of human suffering when I gave him a certain book – a book, I later learned, was on ancient air nomad philosophy. And just why were your people referred to as nomads, anyway, when they all lived in giant temples?"

Aang chuckled, beckoning to Aiwa to walk along the beach with him.

"Well, like our modern philosophy, it's a relic that harkens back to older times, when all airbenders really were nomads. You met one of the last wanderers, actually – a monk named Laghima."

"He's still in the Spirit World. We sat together, we meditated...I don't remember much of it, only that it was just incredible."

"And so it should be," Aang spoke strongly. "Laghima's spiritual insights and meditative techniques were legendary in his own lifetime. Sadly, many of his teachings were distorted by the passage of time, as were all of the ancient tenets. Only a shell remained by the time I was born, but I knew that a few relics still existed. Early in my twenties, when my curiosity and my desire to find archives left behind by my people was great, I found an ancient vault, and contained within it were many incredible teachings."

Aang was speaking with what seemed to be trepidation, as though worried that simply telling Aiwa these things would somehow harm her.

"I'd rediscovered ancient air nomad philosophy – ways of thinking and of being that had not been experienced for thousands of years. I read them, I studied them, I thought I understood them – and then I locked them all away."

"Why?"

"Truth be told, Aiwa, a part of me didn't think the world was ready for it. We would need a unified, stable society, with all sources of violence and selfishness identified and countered before I would _dare_ to share those teachings. But a part of me also couldn't accept what I'd learned. I suspect you already know bits and pieces, yes?"

"Bits and pieces. That book I mentioned? I read it while in a trance, and it...somehow, it saved my life. But I don't remember anything from it. I have the vaguest understanding of what was written in it, but not on a conceptual level. I feel like I encounter it from time to time, and sometimes I have experiences – I call them 'singularities' – where I lose my sense of self –"

"That, Aiwa, is what it's all about. The destruction of duality."

Aang stopped short of speaking any further, and Aiwa turned to look at him. They shared a gaze, and Aiwa knew exactly what he meant. No words were warranted – they would only get in the way.

"But it's not for you."

Aang's brutal honesty hit like a hammer, and Aiwa was sent reeling in shock.

"I'm sorry, but why?"

Aang sighed.

"It's a complex matter, but ultimately it comes down to what is best for the world. This is something that Avatar Yangchen taught me: the Avatar can never reach enlightenment. You are bound to the earth and to your Self, to human suffering, to what it means to be human. Enlightenment is seeing past all human meaning to experience the true nature of reality."

"Tathata," Aiwa said quietly. "I get what it means, now."

"Indeed: tathata. That word only exists in the literature of the ancient air nomads," Aang mused. "But do you understand me? It is crucial that you make this sacrifice to retain your sense of self. I understand how contradictory this sounds, but it's what we get for only being able to express it with human words and meaning. Your greatest act of selflessness can only be to retain your sense of self, to engage fully with it and to understand what it means to be human, for every second of every hour of every day of your life."

Aiwa's mind passed her another epiphany, and she immediately voiced it.

"Junto couldn't do it."

"No, he couldn't. We changed him too much. Something about his brain meant that he was, with respect to greater purposes, not human."

"Roku has already explained some of this. You did what you thought was right at the time. I don't think I hold you responsible –"

"If not us, then who?" Aang pointed a finger at Aiwa, and for the first time in their conversation, Aiwa felt uneasy. "If human lives are to have meaning, then you must decide where responsibility lies. How else will you repair the damage done by Junto in the Avatar's name?"

"Then, perhaps for the purpose of rebuilding trust in the Avatar as the shepherd of civilisation, the past Avatars will be responsible. How do you think the people of the world will take that?"

Aang looked both impressed and unnerved at this idea.

"You're settling comfortably into Preservation philosophy. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but..." He sighed. "Be careful of this notion of truth that the Preservation preach. Yes, I will call it preaching. What I understand, I agree with, but that which I do not understand worries me."

He fixed Aiwa with a powerful stare.

"The Avatar is still human," Aang spoke quietly, "and humans make mistakes. The Avatar should be allowed that much. But when dealing with matters like the truth, mistakes truly matter, and can cost lives."

"I think mistakes can be incorporated into this notion of truth," replied Aiwa calmly. "I'm not sure I understand it fully yet myself, either, but..."

As her voice faded with her certainty, Aang smiled gently.

"Junto's past, the responsibility for the state of the world, and all other matters will be yours to take on – your burden. Even the Preservation, shadowy and secretive, must become like an open book to you. Interrogate its ideals and its means until you reach the core of the philosophy, and scrutinise it. Always remain sceptical, always retain an open heart and mind. But just remember, however complex the world seems: we will be here for you."

* * *

Aiwa was deep in thought as she made her way back inland, following the path Aang had recommended. She thought she understood Aang's resistance to the ancient teachings: they were meant to be lived, not understood with respect to a context that changed with each passing moment. And with each attempt at intellectual comprehension, Aang would have grown more doubtful, more confused...

As she reached a large clearing in the forest, Aiwa brought her attention out of her mind and back to the world around her. Paths and buildings of ancient stone lay before her, with vines and ferns choking the ruins. Huge trees dotted the overrun city here and there, so tall that their canopy was hundreds upon hundreds of metres above in the thick clouds. The Spirit World was peaceful here, tranquil. Aiwa could sense the difference.

She made her way through the ruins, past crumbling balconies and statues defaced by the passage of time, wondering who had built this place. She had once read of Wan Shi Tong's Great Library, and thought of the builders of that deep and timeless place. Were they the same architects as this ancient marvel, now fading into the mists of passing epochs?

At last, she came to a wide, stone disk in what had to be the centre of the ruins. The ground here was clear of vegetation, and a musky mist hung in the air. Aiwa watched as the mists coalesced, solidifying and taking shape, until out of them strode a familiar woman.

"Korra," Aiwa began immediately, sharing no more than a smile with this Avatar before plunging into discussion, "why don't all the Avatars simply meet me at once, in the same spot?"

Korra laughed. "Call it…standard procedure. It's nice to meet you, Aiwa."

"And you."

"Would you like to sit down?"

"Not really," Aiwa replied. "I don't really get tired within the Spirit World. It's interesting."

"I know!" Korra enthused. This manifestation of Korra was younger, with short hair, simple clothes, and plenty of energy. "I became so fascinated by the Spirit World when I was younger. It's one of the reasons I gave permission for research into spiritual energies to take place – or to continue, rather."

"It was you?" Aiwa exclaimed incredulously? "You pushed the science forward?"

"Yes, and no," Korra cut in firmly. "Scientists all across the world encountered the idea of channelling raw spiritual energy several decades before Kuvira's weapon, and the progress they'd made – knowledge that not even people like Varrick had access to – had progressed further than building a simple weapon. That, so they told me, was easy!" She laughed savagely.

Aiwa had a thought.

"Did you provide...you were the one who...?" She was struggling with the words. "The Jishu scientists must have had knowledge of the exact structure of an Avatar's brain, and how it differs from others'. Did you provide it?"

Korra frowned.

"I assented to being studied. It wasn't an easy decision, and clearly it wasn't the right one after all, but I did what I thought was right at the time."

"I'm sorry," Aiwa replied thoughtfully, "I'm not trying to create tension, just connect the dots."

"I was talked into it," Korra continued, glaring at Aiwa. "They talked up the benefits of the technology very well, even with Varrick now their greatest adversary. Even the most basic applications were incredible! I was in my mid-twenties when a group of technicians proposed to analyse me while I meditated by a Spirit Portal. They attached some funky devices to my head, and the next thing I knew I was reconnecting with my past lives. I'd never dreamed of that! What was potentially even more consequential, the researchers explained, was the philosophical debate that it had started. So many ideas were squashed when the first switch connecting brain circuitry to electromagnetic chi-motors was flicked, and so many more sprang up. I'm no scientist, but I recognised its importance, and I saw the effect that this was having on all fields of science – it was just incredible! Many were still opposed, and remained so for a long time. I think that was necessary. Social red tape, if you get my drift, but..."

"You died," Aiwa said quietly. "Too young. Would you tell me how it happened?"

Korra sighed.

"It was a consequence of blind humanitarian aid against the best advice. But I did what I did –"

"You lot keep saying that," Aiwa cut in, "and I get it: you're unhappy about what happened, and would go back and change things if you could. But does anyone hold it against you?"

"Well, no they don't, no one even –"

"More to the point, do _I_?"

The two Avatars shared a smile.

"Please keep going," Aiwa prompted gently. "There's still so much for me to learn."

"After Kuvira tried to take Republic City, I became a much more interventionist Avatar than I wanted to be. At their behest, I was in frequent contact with Aang and the others, and they were always advising me and warning me against new dangers. I thought I did fairly well for the most part. There were many uprisings, rebellions which threatened the peace, but I put them all down bloodlessly. I set up the Earth Continent Intergovernmental Congress and weighted it so that the smallest states still had some power. I even..."

Korra's arms fell slack to her sides and her eyes were melancholy.

"I get it," Aiwa cut in, smiling, "I do. You did your best. You and Aang and Roku – it's alright. Now go on."

"Well, the first tremors of the growing tension between the Shilun Alliance and the Wushi Federation were felt almost twenty years before the war began. But then, still a decade before the conflict blew out, the plague arrived."

Korra took a deep breath, shaking her head.

"Can you imagine it? The entire city of Ba Sing Se, quarantined! Whatever it was, the plague seemed optimised for killing humans – a long incubation period without symptoms, infectious the whole time, and then a sudden and sharp decline in health and energy, frequently resulting in death. Incredibly, it didn't get very far, and over half of the citizens survived!"

"That's still a lot of dead people."

"What made it worse to bear was that I wasn't even helping." Korra cracked her knuckles. "I took a team of willing volunteers into the city to try and stem the spread of the virus. We might have held it back a little, but the cure ultimately came from a Jishu biology lab. Reverse engineering or something. Of course, this happened after I'd died."

The simple way that Korra stated it was unnerving.

"You contracted it."

"I did. And so, I died. And, as you know, the White Lotus had great trouble finding the next Avatar."

"Ba Sing Se recovered, you know," Aiwa urged, still seeing the regret in Korra's eyes. "It bounced back so fast you –"

"And then it died again, this time the in misery of the Great Winter."

"But all's not lost! Humans have survived, and we'll always come back. Ba Sing Se will be rebuilt like it was in the olden days."

"Is that really a good idea?"

Aiwa laughed.

"You tell me! You're the one in favour of the status quo."

Korra smiled, but her gaze was still clouded by sadness.

"Perhaps, though I wouldn't say it like that. Alright, I've told you what you wanted. Now, you want to go up there." She pointed through an opening in the trees, through which Aiwa could see a distant mountain. "Yangchen's peak."

* * *

Aiwa wasn't sure if she had tracked time correctly. It felt like she'd been in the Spirit World for weeks, but distance and time ran somewhat differently here than in the physical realm – at least, that was her perception. It was certainly a lengthy journey to the foot of the mountain, and an arduous task climbing it, but Aiwa never grew tired. On the way she was always surprised and delighted by new sights and marvels. If you knew what to look for, the Spirit World contained beauty without limit.

It was night as Aiwa reached the top of the mountain. All around, thick white cloud blanketed the Spirit World, with only the nearby peaks of other mountains breaking through to point to the stars. It was a little cold up here, and Aiwa shivered. She did not have her firebending to warm her.

" _There's a thought: when you wake up, you'll have access to the other elements!"_

" _If it works._ _If I even survive the surgery."_

" _You know as well as I do that you'll see this through."_

" _You and I? Why do I continue to distinguish between these two absurd little voices in my head?"_

" _Because it serves a purpose. Having me around is useful, so my existence is true."_

" _Annoying, though."_

" _Annoying, but true."_

"Aiwa."

Someone real had said her name, and there was only one person it could be. Aiwa turned and smiled at him.

It was Junto as a healthy young man, free of guilt and inner turmoil – at least as far as she could see. Aiwa could see his father's jawbone and short, severe haircut. Junto was dressed in the simple garb of an Earth Continent citizen, devoid of any finery or reflections of his status. His hands were clasped before him, and he wore a peaceful smile.

"Hello, Junto."

He smiled.

"It's nice to finally meet you – when I'm not a psychopath or a raging, disembodied spirit."

Aiwa laughed.

"Yeah, thanks for that. You did some damage, though. A few men and women are dead..."

Junto's brow furrowed.

"Yes, tell me again how that's my fault."

"Did I say it was? What is with all of you and going on about blame?"

Junto's frown shifted to a look of uncertainty.

"All of the past Avatars feel responsible for the state of the world, Aiwa."

"I've realised something," she said suddenly. "I think you should stop talking about blame. Why? Because it isn't helpful – it isn't useful, so just stop."

Aiwa pursed her lips. She was beginning to see the cracks appearing in Junto's facade. He was still hurting inside, still a frightened child, terrified of being beaten as a consequence, as punishment for his crimes. Yet she would only try to help him.

"Look, the world is pretty messed up. And if we want to talk in terms of the old truths, then you're right: you're responsible, a monster who did terrible things because of a misguided sense of what is right. But listen to me now: If responsibility means that you committed those acts, fine. If responsibility means that you need to be locked away to prevent further action or to deter others from following your lead, so be it. But if responsibility means that you must suffer because of what you did, then I deny that this 'responsibility' is yours. You don't deserve to suffer. It isn't useful. That's what it all keeps coming back to..."

Junto's gaze was now neutral, and Aiwa finished her speech on a pensive note. She lowered her tone, trying her best to be sympathetic.

"Don't make yourself suffer. You did what you did. Could you have done anything differently? No. Can you change what you did? No. But can you learn from what you did in the past, being mindful of everything that's been and gone, and act for a better future?"

Junto managed a wry smile.

"Yeah, I can do that," he said quietly. "Aiwa, you're going to make a fantastic Avatar: an Avatar for Peace."

Aiwa returned his smile, grinning broadly.

"I'll do my best."

Junto closed his eyes momentarily, as though preparing to leave, but then he opened them again, a thought having crossed his mind.

"Are you worried about the Preservation? Their distortion of the facts in pursuit of an agenda?"

Aiwa thought for a moment.

"A little," she replied, "but I believe they are good people with good intentions and the means to carry out their agenda. And if we throw away the facts trying to make the world a better place, then so be it."

Junto laughed.

"Tell me you're not certain of that?"

"Definitely not," Aiwa shot back immediately, before taking a deep breath. "But I'm the Avatar. The responsibility of the future of the world will be on me, so you can count on me to hold the Preservation accountable."

"Good." Junto replied simply. "That's good."

And without another word, he vanished.

Aiwa felt incredibly pleased with herself.

"What now?" she asked of the Spirit World as a whole, speaking into the night sky.

All of a sudden the clouds and the mountains were gone, and she was surrounded by stars. The earth was far below, a pale blue dot in the depths of space. Aiwa was standing upon a white pathway leading off into the depths of space. As she stared ahead, a glimmering form began to emerge from the blackness, a vast, cosmic reflection of herself.

"Aiwa," a deep, female voice spoke, "at last."

"Hello, Raava."

The energy was flowing through her body, as Aiwa looked down to see Raava's form glowing within her.

"This is unorthodox, this transferral into your body," Raava spoke.

"It had to be this way," Aiwa said, beginning to walk forwards down the path. Her cosmic self was growing brighter with each passing second. "Junto was dying, and he would have taken you with him for ten thousand years. I was willing and prepared. What else would you have done?"

"Nothing, child," Raava replied simply. "I was with Junto the whole way, watching helplessly as he fought against the world and against himself. I met his friends and grew to understand him as a man. I have fully forgiven him for everything that came to pass, and now look forward to our future together."

"Together," Aiwa repeated. "We've much to do."

"Indeed. Now, Avatar, step forward."

As Raava's form faded, Aiwa walked forwards, her confidence growing. The Realised Avatar was ahead, held between the hands of the cosmic power. Aiwa began to run, excitement filling her whole form and blotting out all doubt.

She was swamped with energy, flooded with blinding light, and filled with the most wondrous sense of fulfilment. As she was thrown once more into the void, out of space and time, she realised something properly. She understood it.

She was the Avatar.

Avatar Aiwa.


End file.
